Batman Adventure Chronicles: World of Shinobi
by Green113
Summary: What if Batman woke up and found himself in a world of ninjas? A world where people can summon water dragons and run on trees? A world governed by darkness and hatred? A world where Naruto Uzumaki lives? [Hiatus]
1. Chapter 1: Entry

A.N.: This will be a new story depicting Batman finding himself in the Naruto world. Now for those of you who care, this will not be the same universe my other Naruto story is set in but rather the Shippuden canon universe (with a few modifications). For my Batman universe, this could simply be considered an adventure set in the near future. I will be doing these to showcase Batman's adventures and exploits so look forward to that. Anyway, I don't know if I'll make this into a full-fledged story but I had the idea in my head so I decided to try it out. If you guys like it and want me to continue, lemme know and we'll see how far it goes.

* * *

Heavy breaths. Chest expanding, heart pounding. Body aching, struggling to even blink. The air was tense with killer intent. Batman struggled to comprehend where he was. That was difficult to do while being hunted by ninjas. These 'ninjas' however, were not like any that Batman has encountered. They were fast, and they knew how to use the trees to their advantage. Kunai and shuriken flew by the hundreds, a maneuver that was obviously intended to draw him out. He couldn't remember anything. One moment, he was fighting Clayface, the next... He couldn't process the next thought as a ninja suddenly ran up from behind him and attempted to stab him in the neck. Batman was no slouch however and managed to kick him in the stomach before he could strike, knocking the man out cold. This action was apparently loud enough to give away his position as six ninjas wearing headbands and green vests with blue sweaters and pants jumped out. One of them began moving their hands at speeds too fast to see before raising his fingers to his mouth. Batman nearly got incinerated from the fiery dragon that flew at him from the ninja's mouth. Batman landed on a clearing with all the remaining shinobi surrounding him. He was outnumbered, he was tired, and he was running out of gadgets. But he still wasn't about to lose.

"Give it up! You're not defeating six of us!" One of the taunted.

"Don't underestimate Konoha Shinobi, you bastard!" Another one shouted.

This only added to the confusion. Part of his mind focused on formulating an attack plan while the other was putting together where he was. He couldn't still be on his Earth. He knew every secret technique a ninja could use and flying fiery dragons were only told in legends. Batman narrowed his eyes as two of them charged forward. Batman jumped back, leaving smoke bombs where he was. The bombs exploded in their face, blanketing the enemies with smoke. One of them jumped high into the air and yelled, "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

The ninja blew a burst of strong wind from his mouth, clearing the smoke. When it cleared, it revealed that Batman had managed to take out two shinobi. Enraged, the three whom were still on the ground threw explosive kunai at him. Taking evasive action, Batman dove out of the way. The shinobi in the air threw a kunai with a string around it, wrapping it around the Dark Knight's large frame. He reacted quickly by grabbing the wire and leaving a small black, blinking cylinder shaped device that emitted electricity and took out the ninja. Behind him, a shinobi threw a shuriken in the air before moving his hands in that strange, speedy motion.

"Shadow Shuriken Technique!" The flying projectiles went from three to twelve. Batman dive rolled out of the way while the other two began to rush him. They attempted to engage him in close quarters, but despite having difficulty controlling his breathing, Batman had them pegged. He took them out while the final shinobi looked on nervously. This... thing, whatever it was, managed to defeat his whole platoon without summoning a single jutsu. He was dangerous. He needed to retreat, now. He turned on his heel and began running off.

 **"Not so fast."** Batman managed to shoot a tracer onto the fleeing foe before he disappeared in the tree lines. Glancing at the mini-computer on his arm, he followed the ninja back to wherever he was going. After an hour of trekking through the forest, the Caped Crusader rested his eyes on a rather large village, with a wall surrounding it and a huge gate that was now closed. Crouching down behind a tree, Batman used the binocular functions in his cowl to scout out the sentries and look for any possible openings. He spied that the sentry on the left was having trouble staying awake. He waited until the one on the right turned around before using his grappling launcher to ascend up the left tower, sneaking past the snoring guard and landing in a nearby alley. Batman was lucky there were no people near the gate. At the other end of the alley, people were walking about, dressed in kimonos and modern clothes. Hiding behind a garbage dumpster, he took a moment to process the situation. He was in a strange version of what seemed to be Japan, with modern and traditional themes running throughout. Ninjas, cell phones, kimonos, skinny jeans... Trying to process exactly what happened before he woke up here proved more difficult than he thought. He remembered dodging a hammer strike from Clayface and then... nothing.

 ** _"The fight probably isn't what caused it... It's more likely that I was brought here by someone or... something."_** Batman didn't have long to think as he suddenly felt a shift in the air behind him. Before he could even react, he felt a kunai pressed to his neck.

"Move... and you're dead." Batman recognized that the pressure of the blade on his neck was probably strong enough to rip through his cowl and kill him. This meant that whoever was holding was strong. Too strong for him to fight outright. Having no other options, Batman raised his heads in defeat.

"Stand up and walk." The voice commanded. He began walking where directed until his eye caught sight of something. Standing atop a building overlooking the village was a boy. At least fifteen or sixteen, blond hair, blue eyes and orange and black clothes. For a ninja, that seemed like a poor choice of clothing. "Keep moving." Batman continued walking, drawing a few stares.

"Did Kakashi-san catch an enemy shinobi?"

"That guy seems weird..."

"What's going on?"

Batman continued walking until he came to a building that read "Konohagakure Intelligence Division". Batman had an idea what that meant. Awaiting outside in the yard was a man with an impressively imposing figure. He wore a bandana that covered his head and a black trench coat. He wore a navy blue uniform underneath and had two scars running across his face.

"Kakashi." The man greeted.

Batman still couldn't see the man but heard his reply. "Ibiki... Hokage-sama wants this man interrogated. He was sensed entering the village. See what you can find out."

Stoically, Ibiki nodded before having some of his subordinates bring Batman inside the building. Before they allowed him , Ibiki had him blindfolded. A smart maneuver, as it prevented Batman from being able to memorize the way out, should he somehow escape.

 _"Of course..."_ Ibiki thought. _"It's not like he will be able to escape."_

Batman was brought to a room, and was put in a chair. They removed the blindfold as Ibiki walked in, his hands in his coat. His subordinates left the room, leaving Batman, Ibiki and a table full of sharp weapons alone in the room.

"I have no idea who you are. If you're merely a rogue ninja from another village or a clumsy spy sent to infiltrate us but I promise you... I will find out."

Then, something strange happened. Something odd, phenomenal, rare in its showings. Batman smiled, darkly. A cocky smile of gutsiness and bravado. **"Give me your best shot."**

Ibiki grinned at this as he pulled out a nail.

* * *

After hours of torture, Batman held up without so much as grunting. He was thrown into a cell to wait until the next session of interrogation. Lying in the damp cell, Batman stood up on his wobbly legs. The ninja that had apprehended him, Kakashi, managed to remove his belt and withstood the shock that ensued. He's either that strong or can control electricity. It's hard to determine which. While his belt had been removed, he still had emergency lockpicks stored in his gauntlets. He can't take them on head-on, as this ninja village is too strong. His only choice is to use stealth but he couldn't do it now. Somehow, they managed to find out where he was and that he had gotten into their village. For all he knows, they could be monitoring his every movement. He needed to bide his time, find out more about this world then escape. There was nothing else to do then but wait. He sat down near a wall and rested. If he were to survive the next torture session then he'd need it.

Bruce's eyes opened. He was now somewhere else, somewhere... strange, to say the least. He was standing on an ocean of red blood and above him was an upside down black city. Somehow, blood was raining from the ocean onto the city and the sky around him was orange with black clouds.

"My inner mind..."

"Quite perceptive, other-worlder." A dignified voice from behind him spoke out. Bruce turned around to see a floating old man staring at him. He was tall and pale skinned, with deep wrinkles all over his face. He had spiky, shoulder length grey hair, with a chin-length braid hanging in front of his left ear. He also sported a goatee, which tapered down to his waist. The old man had a pair of horn-like protrusions extending from either side of his forehead, and no eyebrows. His eyes were purple and had a spiral pattern. A marking of this same pattern was in the center of his forehead. He wore a white, full-length kimono with a pattern of six magatama around a high collar, beneath which he wore a necklace with the same number of magatama. On the back of his kimono was a larger, black spiral circle marking with a pattern of nine magatama arranged in three rows of three beneath it. In his hand was a black dual-headed staff, with a ringed hoop at one end and at the other possessed a crescent shaped curve.

"Are you the one who's brought me here? To this world?"

"Ho... impressive. You've sense that you have been brought here. As have I. However, I am not the one who has summoned you here."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of the Six Paths."

"Sage?"

Hagoromo raised his staff, creating a ball of blue that projected images. "The world you have come to is the World of Shinobi, governed by the Five Great Nations. The people of these nations are tense allies and some are outright enemies with each other." The ball showed Bruce the landscape, the villages and the people. "Humans have mastered the energy of chakra, a force of nature that all life is contingent on."

"Chakra..."

"You have heard of it?"

"There is a concept by the same name on my world but... it's a bit different from yours. Through the use of chakra, is that how the shinobi I encountered earlier used their attacks?"

"Indeed. By molding physical energy with spiritual energy, shinobi of today can use techniques with immense destructive power..."

"You don't sound too pleased about that."

"I am not. Ninjutsu, as it is called now, was not created for destruction. It started as the way of Ninshuu, a manner of understanding the body, the self and others. I had created it to establish peaceful relations between the people but..."

"The desire for power took over and here we are today."

"Yes. I know not why you reside in this realm but I do know that the people do not trust you and may kill you."

"I'm not as helpless as I look."

"Indeed. But if you are to survive in this world, you will require the ability to mold chakra yourself." With the speed of light, Hagoromo placed his palm on Bruce's stomach. "I will grant you a chakra network that will allow the chakra to flow through you. Please bear with it."

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" The process was excruciatingly painful. He felt like his entire nervous system was being morphed and shifted. It lasted for a few minutes but if felt like years and by the end of it, Bruce was panting and sweating profusely. However, he felt different. He felt something inside of him. It was strange, new but powerful.

"So this is the sensation of chakra?"

"Yes. Though you are not of this world, I believe you will find your way home. Until then, I will aid you in whatever manner possible. Now... awaken!"

* * *

Batman's eyes flew open to see someone yelling at him from outside the cell.

"Hey! Wake up already!" A woman stood outside of his cell. She had light brown, pupil-less eyes with violet hair in a short, spiky fanned-ponytail. She wore a tan overcoat with a purple in-seam, which had a pocket on both sides. She also wore a body fit mesh body suit that stretched from her neck to her mid-thighs. She wore a dark orange mini skirt and around her neck was a small pendant that looked like a snake fang on thick cord, a watch around her wrist and pale grey shin guards. She also wore a dark blue belt around her waist that connected to her skirt that had an appendage-like sash. On her forehead was the headband that the rest of shinobi wore. She licked her lips in a somewhat sadistic manner. "It's time for round 2."


	2. Chapter 2: Blending In

The purple haired woman brought Batman back to the interrogation room. In it was the man from yesterday, Ibiki, but now another man was standing in the room. The other man had long ash blond hair reaching into his back, which he wore spiky on top and ended in a long ponytail, blue-green eyes and strong facial features, which included a well defined jaw line. He wore the same blue outfit as Ibiki, complete with a long black overcoat.

"Is this him?"

"Yes. See what you can find out."

Batman remained silent, observing their behavior and conversation. The blond man walked up to him and placed his hand on Batman's head. He then closed his eyes. "Psycho Mind Transmission!"

Batman felt a strange sensation as the blond man entered Batman's mind. The blond man found himself in an empty black space, surrounded by nothing. He looked around confused until a dark, foreboding voice began speaking to him out of nowhere.

" **You think you can penetrate my mind? You think you can learn my secrets?"**

"This jutsu allows me to probe your brain and learn whether you're an enemy or not. I will learn who you are."

" **My brain is not a nice place to be."**

Bats flew out and began attacking the blond man, while he fended them off with kunai. The place suddenly shifted, becoming a black whirlpool that began sucking him down further and further unto an endless abyss. While he was falling, he was being bombarded with bats. They tore and ripped at his skin, biting his flesh and nearly covering his body with their numbers. The stink of rotting flesh began to pierce his nose, the sensation of fear began flooding his heart. The whirlpool began closing in as images began to flood the blond man's head. Images of death, torture, blood.

" **You want to know who I am? I'm your worst nightmare, the kind that makes you run screaming to your mother. I'm the monster under your bed who haunts your dreams at night. I'm the terror in the night sky... I am the Batman!"**

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" In the real world, the blond man fell back as the transmission was abruptly cut.

"Inoichi-san!" One of the subordinates bent down to help Inoichi, who was trembling slightly. Batman came to, taking back in his surroundings. He glared down at the blond ninja, while Ibiki sighed.

"Another dead end..."

"No, wait." The purple haired woman walked up with a kunai in her mouth and from where her mouth was, a green liquid trickled down the blade. "I've got an idea." She took the kunai out of her mouth and nicked Batman's cheek. "I've been working on a drug."

"What kind of drug?" Ibiki asked.

She smirked at him. "That kind that makes telling the truth irresistible." The woman brought her mouth next Batman's ear and whispered, "Struggle all you want but in the end... you'll tell us what we want to know."

He did struggle. He struggled with all his willpower. He knew what he was dealing with, he knew it was probably impossible but he also knew he didn't care. He had to fight... to fight... to fight...

When it was clear that the drug had taken effect, Ibiki pulled up a chair and sat himself down in front of Batman. He interlaced his fingers together before staring at him coldly. "Now... who are you? Where do you come from? Talk!"

" **My name... is Batman."** He replied with a slight slur. **"I was born when Bruce Wayne was eight. I come from Gotham City... United States... of America..."**

Ibiki shook his head and turned to the purple haired woman. "It doesn't work, Anko."

Anko sighed disappointingly. "I guess it needs more work..."

Ibiki stood up. "I'll talk to Hokage-sama. We'll figure out what to do with him later but for now, put him back in his cell. And keep an eye on him. He seems tougher than previously suspected."

The subordinates nodded as they dragged Batman off.

* * *

Batman regained conscious awareness and realized he was now back in his cell. He remembered struggling to fight the effects of the drug that woman put into his bloodstream. He had ended up telling them the truth but they didn't believe it. He wasn't really surprised but he learned what he needed to. They aren't following his every movement and the proof were the guards they put outside his cell. They conversed casually amongst themselves, probably unaware of his awakening.

"So, what's Hokage-sama planning to do about this guy?"

"Ibiki-san is talking to her about it now, I heard. She might come down to visit him herself. In the end though, we just may have to kill him."

"Guess there's no choice. We can't take the chance he's a spy, after all."

Batman drowned out the rest of their conversation as it had no more relevance to him. He reached into his gauntlet and pulled out his emergency lockpicks. After silently undoing his handcuffs, Batman reached out and slammed the guards' heads together, knocking them out. He took their keys and unlocked the cell door. He reached into the holsters on their legs and took two kunais, just in case. Batman ran through the halls, listening for any footsteps. He had no idea where he was going but knew he had to get out of the building before someone found out he escaped. He eventually came across a vent in the ceiling. Once in the shaft, he began moving once more, glancing at each grate he passed, hoping to find an exit. Batman passed through a grate where Ibiki stood with a blonde woman in the hall. To call the blond woman curvaceous would be an understatement. She was a light-skinned woman of average height with brown eyes and straight, blonde hair. She had shoulder-length bangs framing both sides of her face. Her hair was tied into two loose ponytails. She wore a grass-green haori with the kanji for "gamble" written in black on the back, inside a red circle. Underneath she wore a grey, kimono-style blouse with no sleeves, held closed by a broad, dark bluish-grey obi that matched her pants. Her blouse was closed quite low, revealing her sizeable cleavage. She wore open-toed, strappy black sandals with high heels and red polish on both her fingernails and toenails. She also wore soft pink lipstick. Her two most noticeable features were the violet rhombus shaped mark in the middle of her forehead and the other was, of course, her bust. At least 106 cm in circumference, Batman estimated. He narrowed his eyes, as this woman had an air of authority about her. He wondered if this was the "Hokage" these people kept speaking of.

"...Yes, Hokage-sama." He was right. "Our scouts fought him a few miles outside of the village. He tracked him back home with," Ibiki reached into his pocket and pulled out a bat-shaped tracer. "this device. We have no clue which village may be behind this. We may have to execute him."

"No." The Hokage replied. "I don't want to do anything until we're absolutely sure. We may end up causing some sort of war. Take me to him."

"Yes, ma'am." Ibiki and the woman disappeared from his view, walking towards to his cell. Batman knew he had to hurry now. He dropped down from the vent, before running towards where they came from. He came across the door, leaving the building and making it outside. Now free, Batman jumped over the nearby fence and hid in the bushes. It was sunset, but visibility was still high enough where he would be seen if he were to go running around in his Batsuit. He needed to blend in.

Using the alleyways and the rooftops, Batman eventually came across a clothing and accessories store. Sneaking in through the vent from the roof, Batman managed to nab a pair of clothes and a bag. Retreating to an alleyway, Batman made sure nobody was watching before changing out of his suit and switching to civilian clothes. He put his suit in the bag, before exiting the alley and walking among the people. No one suspected him and in fact, a few women gave him a once-over. Now, that he could move freely he decided to go into the forest and hide his suit beneath a rock.

" _I'll come back for this when it's needed."_ He thought as he walked back into the village. The sun had now set and nighttime had over taken the town. The lights that shone out of the houses did nothing to blot out the starry night sky. The full moon shone brightly, illuminating the ground below. While the people walking in the streets had lessened, there was still the occasional couple walking hand-in-hand through the street and sometimes Bruce would have to move out of the way of some stumbling drunk. Despite being here for only awhile, he like the air the village seemed to have. It's an air he hoped to someday bring to Gotham. If he figured out how to get back home. He had no clue what was going on his city but he needed to get back. For all he knew, Clayface could be killing everyone in sight. While walking through the streets, he came across three young people who seemed to be ninjas themselves. There were two boys and one girl. The first boy had a lazy expression on his face. He had black hair tied into a spiky ponytail and narrow brown eyes. He wore the green flak jacket that seemed standard in all the shinobi here. Underneath it, he wore a black long sleeved shirt paired with matching pants and sandals, and green lined mesh armour on his wrists and ankles. On his shoulder was a metal slab with a symbol on it. It was sewn onto the sleeve. The other boy was more robust in appearance. He had spiky brown hair that reached his waist and red swirl marks on his cheeks. He sported a red suit with plated armour on his torso, arms, and upper legs. On the front of his chest armour was the kanji for "food". The girl was fair-skinned and of average height with sky blue eyes. Her most noticeable trait in her appearance was her long, pale blonde hair, which was in a high-ponytail with bangs covering the right side of her face. It went down to hip level. She wore a short, purple, sleeveless blouse, an open-front purple apron-skirt over a shorter, black skirt, with short, fishnet shorts underneath. Covering her elbows and knees were fishnet warmers. She looked like the ninja who had tried to read his mind. There was probably a relation. He stopped them for a minute, deciding that he needed directions.

"Excuse me," He started. "I'm afraid I'm lost."

The lazy boy tilted his head lazily, the fat one continued to eat chips while the blond girl blushed and looked at him with starry eyes.

"Are you from another village?" The lazy boy drawled out.

"Yes..." He answered slowly, being careful so as to not incite a fight. "I'm visiting... a relative. But I thought I'd catch up on some reading while here. Could you point me to the nearest library?"

"Visiting from another village, huh?" The lazy boy gave him a brief suspicious glance but it was gone as soon as it had come. He slowly raised his finger and pointing it in the direction of the building.

Bruce nodded appreciation. "Thank you, sir."

"I can escort you there, if you like!" The blond haired girl blurted out suddenly. She then blushed bright red, as if immediately becoming aware of what she just said and being embarrassed by it, and became shy but still maintained eye contact. The boys glanced at her before turning their attention back to him. This was probably a normal occurrence.

Bruce chuckled in response before waving it off. "No, but thanks anyway."

Bruce walked away, with the three shinobis looking onward. The lazy boy narrowed his eyes slightly, suspicious of something.

The fat one seemed to pick up on this. "What's wrong, Shikamaru?"

"That guy... there's something... off about him."

"What do you mean?" The blond girl asked.

Shikamaru scratched his head lazily. "He doesn't seem to be what he told us."

"You're saying he might be a shinobi?"

"Maybe. It's a pain, but maybe we should follow-"

"I'LL DO IT!" Ino quickly volunteered and then quickly took off, following Bruce's trail from the rooftops, leaving her comrades, for lack of a better word, dumbfounded.

Luckily for Bruce, the library seemed open 24/7. He entered, nodded at the librarian and began to scour the books. Sitting at the table, Bruce had piled numerous books on the table with subjects from "The Basics of Chakra" to "The Politics of a Village." He was reading a book on the lists of villages and their social hierarchy, when he noticed a presence behind him. It was strange. He already knew someone was following him, but the feeling was different this time. He felt a distinct feeling in his cells, a sudden awareness of another human being.

" _Is this what it's like to possess chakra?"_ Bruce briefly wondered. He turned to see the blond girl peeking out from behind a bookcase. He got up from his seat and went to the aisle just behind her bookcase. Letting the strange feeling of chakra awareness guide him, he stopped just in front of her. The only thing separating them were books. He split some of the books and there he saw the blond girl, looking back at him with an equal amount of shock and embarrassment. He leaned on his elbow and with a smirk, raised his eyebrow and initiated his playboy persona.

"I see you've been following me, Miss...?

"Ino... Yamanaka." She replied, still a little sheepish from having been discovered. "How did you...?"

"When I was a child, I underwent some brief ninja training. Guess that old training never goes away. I haven't introduced myself have I? My name is Ryu Komori." With a tactical gleam in his eye, he went around the bookcase and stood face-to-face with her. "That boy, the lazy one, didn't trust me, huh? Your leader is a very cautious guy."

That statement seemed to give Ino some of her spunk back. She put her hands on her hips and 'humph-ed' loudly. "That good-for-nothing lazy bum? No way!"

Bruce laughed at this. "Then I guess you followed me out of your free will then?" He asked with a suggestive eyebrow raise, crossing his arms and leaning on the bookcase.

Her cheeks became rosy but Ino flowed with the flirtation. "So what if I was, Ko-mo-ri-kun?" She tapped his chest with her finger with every enunciation.

He put on a smooth smile on his face. "Well, am as I suspicious as suspected?"

"Hmm, don't know. I may need some more time to assess you."

"Well, how about we got out and do it over a plate of food?" He glanced at his books. "I was going to read but if I could learn some things from a charming young lady such as yourself then I much prefer that option."

"I know just the place!"

* * *

"Aw, come on, Sakura-chan!" Naruto Uzumaki, a young man with incredibly spiky blond hair, blue eyes, whisker marks on his cheeks, whined to his teammate, Sakura Haruno. "Let's just stop by and have some, for old times sake!"

Sakura sighed deeply, getting increasingly irked by her loud and brash teammate. "Fine..." She conceded. "We can go get some Ichiraku Ramen..."

"Hell yeah!" The enthusiastic boy pumped his fist in the air and began running off in the direction of his favorite restaurant.

"Naruto!" The girl called after him, as she ran to catch up.

The Ichiraku Ramen stand was a semi-famous food joint that served Naruto's favorite food. It sat on the end of a road and had a few seats at the bar where people could order. Naruto ran inside with a wide, charismatic smile on his face and greeted the girl at the counter, a young brown haired wearing a white bandana and a white robe with her sleeves rolled up. She turned toward the young man with a sweet smile of her own, leaning over the counter as he sat himself down.

"Naruto-kun!" She greeted cheerfully. "It's been so long!"

"Yeah, I just got back!"

Sakura walked into the stand, greeting the girl behind the counter. "Hello, Ayame-san."

"Sakura-chan, it's nice to see you again."

She sat down as an older man began walking out of the back and up to the counter. He had a friendly smile on his face and wrinkles near his eyes. He wore the same outfit as Ayame. "Naruto-kun, Sakura-san, it's been so long since I've seen either of you. What would my favorite customer and his teammate like today?"

"Miso ramen!" Naruto shouted.

"Chicken ramen." Sakura politely requested after glaring at Naruto for his loud voice.

"Coming right up!" Teuchi, the owner of Naruto's favorite shop, replied with equal enthusiasm.

The stand opened again and two more guests sat down on a stool. Naruto and Sakura glanced to the side of them and whom Sakura saw made her scowl comically.

"Ino-pig..."

Bruce and Ino had sat at the stool. On the stroll to the stand, Bruce had been asking her all sorts of questions, pretending to be an interested civilian who just wanted to know more about the shinobi world. In a way, he was. She didn't mind nor suspect anything and only seemed all the more charmed by him. Sadly for her, he had no intent on pursuing any kind of relationship. He needed information. Any and all the information about this world and the possibility of getting back home.

Ino turned to Sakura, a taunting grin on her face. "Oh, I almost didn't see you there, Billboard Brow. I was too busy get escorted by my friend here."

Bruce looked at the two shinobi Ino was talking to. The one furthest from him was a girl. She had bright pink hair, large green eyes, and fair skin. She wore a red shirt with white circular designs without sleeves with black gloves, black, low-heel, calf-high boots, black shorts underneath a short pink apron skirt, and pink elbow protectors. She wore the forehead protector on her head like a headband. The boy next to her was the boy he had seen earlier, standing on the building and overlooking the village. He had bright blond spiky hair, ocean blue eyes not unlike Bruce's. He possessed three whisker marks on each cheek and he wore a form fitting orange tracksuit with a white swirl on the shoulder. The suit had black around the collar and shoulders that ran down the arms and the front of the jacket. He wore his metal forehead protector on a black bandanna and he wore black sandals.

Sakura took in the sight of Ino's 'date'. He was handsome, she had to admit. He had slicked back black hair, with a few strands hanging off and enhancing his mysterious look. He had a defined face, particularly his cheekbones. He had deep blue eyes, that had an icy feeling to them. She had seen those eyes on a certain someone before. He wore a simple black shirt and pants, along with some black sandals. He was incredibly muscular, his arms seeming to pop out of its seams. He was more fit than most ninjas yet he acted as an innocent civilian. She glanced at Naruto, watching as he downed ramen like a pig and then glanced back at the man Ino brought. Sakura couldn't prevent the tint of jealously bubbling up inside of her but she simply huffed and began eating.

Ino gave an impish face of triumph before turning to Bruce, smiling at him. He politely smiled back while his mind wandered elsewhere, as it usually did when he occupied himself with the opposite sex.

" _I've probably gotten all the information I could get from her... I need to return to the library and learn from those books. Every bit of knowledge I can gather about this place helps me. I can't afford to waste time here..."_

Ino turned to Sakura. "Well, it seems that I have a real man treating me while you have... Naruto." Naruto glanced at the mention of his name, strings of noodles sticking out of his mouth. "How does it feel, Billboard Brow, to lose to me?"

Sakura smirked devilishly at Ino. "Hey Ino... where's your 'man'?"

With a confused look on her face, the blond kunoichi turned to her side and saw he was gone. Her face became a hilarious mix of rage, shock, and disappointment while Sakura snickered and Naruto wasn't even paying attention as he was already downing his third bowl.

"Looks like you'll be paying for your own food, Ino-pig." She taunted in a sing song voice. Inwardly, she briefly wondered how got away without them noticing.

* * *

Having already checked his books out of the library, Bruce sat in a secluded forest, resting against a tree trunk. He had learned quite a bit about this world. The information he was learning would help him form a fake identity, one he might need here in Konohagakure No Sato.

" _The Village Hidden in The Leaves... A fitting name."_ Bruce shut his book and looked at the starry night sky. The moon was out, giving him more than enough moonlight. It was, however, after midnight as the moon began to set from its high place in the sky. Bruce laid back and closed his eyes, deciding that he needed at least 15 minutes of sleep before studying again.

His mind began to drift until he was once again in his mind. He looked around, noticing everything was as it was the last time he was here but the Sage was absent this time. Suddenly, a scratching sound could be heard. It penetrated his ear, increasing in volume until it became almost unbearable. Bruce searched wildly for the source until finally, his eyes rested on a small cloaked figure floating in the air.

Now that the sound had gone, Bruce removed his hands from his ears and approached the floating figure.

"STOP!" The figure commanded in a pipsqueak voice. Bruce halted but a puzzled look graced his features.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"Who am I? I am vengeance... I am the night... I am BAT-MITE!"


	3. Chapter 3: Legend of the Dark Mite

"Who... who are you?" Bruce questioned gruffly.

Bat-mite seemed like a smaller, more comical version of Batman himself. He had wore the what seemed to be a tiny, homemade batsuit, with the cowl having a bent ear. He floated in the air, a wide smile on his face.

"Hee-hee-hee! I'm your biggest fan!" He shrouded his figure with his small cape. "I'm Bat-mite! Mysterious defender of Gotham! The Dark Avenger of the Night!"

Bruce grabbed the impish being roughly. "Is this some kind of stupid joke?"

Bat-mite smirked at him. "Nope!" He snapped his fingers and the entire scenery of Bruce's mind changed, becoming a purple, foggy world instead. "You seem confused?"

Bruce glared at him fiercely. "What is going on?"

"Hee-hee!" Bat-mite vanished, leaving pixie dust in his presence. He then reappeared above Bruce, his arms crossed but the smile on his face somehow even wider. "You seem confused."

"Are you the one who brought me here?"

Bat-mite giggled gleefully. "Wow, you really are so great! I'm glad I picked you as my favorite!"

Bruce grunted, his annoyance increasing as he was getting nowhere by questioning whoever this was. "Despair not!" Bat-mite interrupted his train of thought. "Let me explain who I am! I am Bat-mite, a being from the 5th dimension!"

Bruce instantly became annoyed, even more so than he already was. Bat-mite seemed to somehow sense this. "Ah, you've heard of us from your friend, have you?"

Bruce exhaled exasperatedly. "He told me that one of you gave him a lot of problems... what do I have to, then? Say your name backwards?"

"Hee-hee! I'm not here to annoy you, Dark Knight. I'm here to help!"

"Help? If you want to help me, send me back home. My city is in danger."

"Don't worry about that! Look," Bat-mite snapped his fingers and a picture of Batman and Clayface came up. It showed exactly what he remembered; dodging Clayface and about to throw a sub-zero grenade at him. "This is your world right now! I paused it."

"'Paused it'?"

"Mhm! Right now, nothing's changing in your world while you are here. You can spend as many years as you want and not a second would go by in the DC comics world!"

"What?"

"Nothing." He replied quickly. "Anyway, you don't have to worry about anything, Batman!"

"I don't have time to waste here."

"I beg to differ. You have all the time in the world!"

Bruce narrowed his eyes while Bat-mite happily twirled. Bruce gritted his teeth, his hand becoming a tight fist. "Is this some kind of sick game to you?"

Bat-mite stopped twirling instantly, and in the next moment was in Bruce's face, a stern scowl on his face. Bruce was naturally taken aback by this change of behavior while Bat-mite spoke in an unusually deep voice.

" **A game? A game?! A GAME?! ABSOLUTELY NOT! I LEAVE THAT KIND OF STUFF UP TO ROCKSTEADY!"**

"..."

"A-hem. Please excuse the outburst, sir. In my world, see, my friends and I watch you and your teammates save the day all the time. So, each of us have decided to pick a favorite character and emulate him. And I picked you!" Bat-mite pointed at Bruce with what intended to be a sweet smile, but came off more as a maniacal grin.

"Lucky me..." Bruce muttered.

"So," Bat-mite continued. "I decided to show them how awesome my idol is by selecting different worlds for you to visit and seeing how well you adapt and survive across them, something you're so awesome at."

Bruce inhaled silently, trying to keep his ever growing anger in check. He wasn't in control now. He knew that. He needed to play by his rules until he could get this little imp to return him home.

"Fine... I'll survive. And when I do whatever it is that I am to do here..." Bruce's eyes became one resembling a demon, an angry beast of the underworld. "You _will_ send me back home."

"Hee-hee-hee! Deal! Oh, and by the way..." Bat-mite winked at him. "You better wake up. A kunai is being thrown at youuu~."

Bruce didn't even have time to react as the flying projectile flew towards him. He dove out of the way, forcing his mind to quickly comprehend that he was now in the real world, in a forest, in the morning and under attack. He rolled out of the way of another barrage of shuriken/kunai strikes. He ran behind a tree, trying to determine the position of his enemy.

"Well, well... looks like I found a little birdie trespassing on my terrain."

Bruce narrowed his eyes. "This is my territory! Everybody in Konoha knows it but you must be new... or maybe..."

He recognized her. "You're that prick who vanished from his cell?" She suddenly appeared behind him, a sadistic grin on her face and a twisted gleam in her eye. Bruce spun around and managed to stop her kunai from plunging into his neck.

"You seem pretty strong..." She complimented. She then kicked him in the gut, sending sliding back a few feet. Before he could recover, she had jumped in the air, her kunai aiming towards his neck. "But you're just not good enough!" She plunged the knife into his body, blood dripping down to the grass below. At the last moment, Bruce managed to divert the blade to his shoulder, his teeth clenching as he breathed through the pain.

The grin on the woman's face widened and her look became even more feral, if that were even possible. "Heh, not bad, boy-toy. But it won't be enough."

Bruce's vision became blurred, his mind becoming fuzzy and his balance lessening. Bruce furrowed his brow, his heart began racing as he thoughts began to flow like a river. He gritted his teeth, his veins began to pop out of his skin and his eyes became bloodshot. The woman's eyes widened and with remarkable speed, she jumped back. She watched as Bruce began to leak chakra from his body. But that's not what shocked the woman. What materialized before her eyes was a chakra that was black in color with a white outline. It spiraled around his body, surrounding and invigorating him. Bruce could feel every cell in his body burning, his mind flooding with a clarity he's never felt before. Whatever this woman drugged him with began to lose his effect. Bruce jumped away, his speed and height allowing him to easily reach a tree branch. Bruce couldn't really revel in this incredible development due to the fact that every nerve on his body was in pain. He could feel it very clearly. He moved faster, thought faster, saw faster. It was like some strange adrenaline that was flooding through his system but through the pain, he knew the cause. The new force of nature that flooded his body. Chakra...

The woman had been forced to shield her eyes with her arm as debris flew up when Bruce jumped away. Currently, he was escaping, getting the hang of jumping from tree to tree. She clicked her teeth in frustration before deciding on the next course of action. She jumped after him, biting her thumb and extracting blood from it. Bruce glanced behind him as he moved away, watching as she moved her hands in that speedy motion that he could now see in a clearer manner before she forcefully slammed her palm down on a tree branch. A cloud of smoke poof-ed up and from the smoke, came a large snake. Bruce's eyes widened as it slithered above him and with a force he never often felt, it knocked him into a tree, cracking it slightly.

Bruce tried to fight through the pain, the overwhelming feeling of tree bark digging into his back. The snake bent down to his level, the woman staring down at him from atop its head. She licked her lips, reminding Bruce greatly of a snake. Before anything else could happen, Bruce was suddenly flooded with pain, a pain that was Brobdingnagian in size, a pain that forced him to scream at the top of his lungs and clutch his body. He rolled off of the tree, landing on the forest floor, squirming. His skin became a bright red, his veins became a dark black, one of his eyes were red while the other was bulging out of its socket. His stomach felt like it was being stabbed and his head was pounding. His vision began to blur as the woman landed on the ground beside him, the snake disappearing in a pillar of smoke. Bruce's mouth began to drool as he left reality, entering a world of darkness that he happily embraced.

* * *

Bruce woke up slowly, his eyes readjusting to a bright light just above him. The first thing he noticed was that he extremely exhausted, so much so that he could barely lift up his head. Breathing, blinking, every basic movement was accompanied by raw soreness. The second thing he noticed was that he was tied to a chair, in a room with three people in it and a light overhead that was swinging ever so slightly. He could barely hear anything, as sound was steadily returning to his ears.

"...kill him."

"No... another village... war."

"But... risk... here."

"... know."

"We'll need..."

"...waking up now."

Bruce's senses began to return to him. First, the numbness disappeared as the sense of touch return. His hearing became good enough to make out the string of words that were being said. His sight finally became used to the barely lit room. His eyes took in the sight of three individuals. The purple haired woman, the Hokage figure whom the ninjas seem to obey, and Ibiki.

Ibiki walked in front of Bruce. "Wake up, intruder."

Bruce slowly lifted his head and gave the man a dark look. The Hokage walked up to him, her hands crossed under her prominent bust. She had a serious look of her own as she stared down at Bruce.

"I'm going to make this very simple. We have two options: Kill you and risk strife with another village or you can tell us who you are and we can escort you to your village and handle it with the village leader. I don't wish to start a war that doesn't need to happen. You can either tell us who you are and from what village you hail from or you can refuse and you would have to die."

For a long time, he didn't respond. He simply stared at them, an air of glaringly tense silence before he slowly opened his mouth to speak. "My name is... Ryu Komori. I am an ex-ninja of Sunagakure." He remembered reading about the villages, and he knew now that this knowledge would be what saves his life. He continued speaking, choosing his words carefully. "I have left my village, feeling unable to continue carrying out my duties there."

"Why did you attack our shinobi?"

"I didn't. They attacked me. I defended myself and, if I recall, they are not dead."

Ibiki walked up, a stern look on his face, as always. "Something doesn't fit about your story. Our men spotted you in some sort of bat-cloak and we found this device," He pulled out Bruce's bat-tracer. "On one of our shinobi. Someone like you could not have been a shinobi of the Sand."

"Hmph. Do you honestly expect me to divulge all of the village's secrets? Ex-nin or not, I know where my loyalties lie."

"Hmhm," The purple haired woman giggled before stepping behind him and putting a knife to his throat. "Why don't we see where your head will lie after I cut it off?"

"Anko!" The Hokage shouted.

Anko sighed disappointingly. "Yes, Hokage-sama..." She then backed away.

The Hokage walked up to Bruce, glaring at him. She roughly grabbed his neck, putting insane pressure in her grip and reducing his ability to breath.

Bruce's widened in pain. _"This woman... is strong!"_

"Your story is flat, but if you are telling the truth then we can't risk inciting a war with the Sand. Especially not now." She lifted him up with her one hand, bringing her face in close proximity with his and gave him a threatening look. "However... if I found out that you're trying to harm this village, you will pay. I promise you that." She dropped him, the chair going off balance on its landing and falling over, leaving Bruce lying on the floor, gasping for air. The Hokage turned to the door. "Shizune!"

A brown haired woman peeked in. "Prepare the squad."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

Bruce was escorted to the gate of the village, where he saw three ninjas waiting for him. Anko, a woman and a man. The woman was fair-skinned and of slender build. She had long black untamed hair reaching her upper back, and very unique eyes that were red in colour, with an additional ring in them. She wore make-up consisting of red lipstick and purple eye shadow. Her outfit consisted of a red mesh armour blouse with only the right sleeve visible. She also wore a very broad material which resembled bandages with a pattern on it similar to those of rose thorns. Her hands and upper thighs were also wrapped in bandages and she wore a Konoha forehead protector and regular shinobi sandals. The man was tall, with brown eyes, olive skin, short black spiky hair, and a beard. His clothing consisted of the standard Konoha ninja uniform with the sleeves rolled up half way, flak jacket, regular shinobi sandals and forehead protector. He also wore a sash that had the kanji for "Fire" marked on it around his waist, a pair of black bangles, and bandages wrapped around the arms of his sleeves.

Bruce, in handcuffs, was being handled by two other shinobi and was brought next to Anko, where she winked at him. He didn't respond, maintaining a stoic face while Tsunade was talking to the other two shinobi of the squad.

"Asuma, Kurenai," She addressed. "We have already sent the other squad after the captured one. Because of the situation, it goes without saying that you need to hand our own prisoner to the other two siblings."

The two nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Good. Now go! Take him back to Sunagakure no Sato!"


	4. Chapter 4: Knowledge is Power

They had been walking a day, moving through the trees and staying alert for any enemies. Bruce had made sure to observe the couple, Asuma and Kurenai, looking for any weak spots to use to his advantage. Anko, who was currently in charge of leading Bruce, kept staring at him, probably trying to unnerve him. It didn't work. This only seemed to spur her on, her entire demeanor seemed to be sensual in nature from the casual licking of her lips to the way she would casually bend over when they stopped. Bruce, of course, just wasn't interested. Instead, he kept his mind sharp, focusing on the little details of his other 'traveling companions'. They seemed to be a couple, though they often tried to hide it from him. They probably suspected that he'd somehow use it against them. They were probably right. After night fell, the squad had stopped and set up camp for the night. Anko tied him to a tree, while the couple set up a fire.

"Ya know..." Anko started, as she tightened the ropes around his body. "If you get cold, I could stay out here and... mmm, warm you up." She offered suggestively, her face extremely close to his, so much so that he could feel her hot breath on his cheek.

He turned to her slowly, giving her a frigid glare. "No."

Anko stood up, sighing disappointingly and with a shrug walked to her tent. Asuma, the bearded man, got up and went off into the woods leaving him and Kurenai alone. She was watching the fire, eating a mochi (Japanese rice cake) but she kept stealing glances at her prisoner. She seemed to be debating something internally and she finally seemed to have come to a decision when she turned to him fully with a plate of mochis.

"Are you hungry?" She asked softly.

Bruce didn't immediately reply but he also didn't glare at her either. He simply stared at her for a moment, his mind contemplating thoughts unknown to the red eyed woman. After a silence, she began to turn back around before she heard a curt, "Yes."

She stood up and began walking to him, offering him the mochi. Bruce shook his head. "I don't see how I can eat it tied up like this."

Kurenai raised one of her brows, before slowly reaching for a mochi and then bringing it near Bruce's mouth. Bruce bit into it, chewing off a piece and swallowing it slowly. She held the piece until he had eaten it all, his lips touching her fingers lightly after he taken the last piece. Throughout the exchange, they had maintained eye contact the whole time, not a blink seen at all, red eyes on blue. After having feed him, Kurenai couldn't seem to take her eyes off him. It was strange, to say the least. His dark blue eyes seemed to have some sort of magnetic pull, and she just couldn't look away. She became so lost on them that her mind became blank and her awareness started to numb, so much so that she didn't notice her face slowly moving closer to his until her rosy red lips were just inches away from his. Suddenly, her mind comprehended what she was doing and she inhaled sharply before turning away, getting up and rushing inside of her tent.

Bruce glanced out of the corner of his eye. Asuma stood there, a couple of logs under his arm. His face went through three phases – one of confusion, one of shock and then one of anger. He gave Bruce a death glare, his eyes seeming like that of a crazed person. He reached into his pocket and put a cigarette in his mouth, lighting it and then inhaling deeply to calm his nerves. After exhaling, he walked inside his shared tent with Kurenai, giving Bruce one last snarky glare over his shoulder before leaving him alone in the woods.

Bruce smirked devilishly to himself before falling asleep.

* * *

He awoke in his twisted inner mind, his eyes glancing at the blood that rained on the city above. Whose blood was this, he wondered? Was it the blood of those he had failed to save? It would be fitting. That would mean that the city above him was Gotham. Bright red rain of blood raining down on the city of hell, Gotham City. He remembered vividly... everyone he failed. He wasn't strong enough. He still isn't. Will he ever be?

"Only time will tell, other-worlder." Behind floated the sage, in crossed legged fashion.

"Sage, when I channeled my chakra, my body... it seized up all of a sudden. I felt a pain unlike anything I've ever felt and if it had not been for that woman's drug, I feel like I would've died. What the hell happened?"

"You are one not naturally imbued with a chakra network. It will be a painful experience for you to use chakra. This will be the case for awhile, I'm afraid. However, you seem to be quite a determined man. I'm sure something so small as pain will deter you."

Bruce shook his head, a small grin on his face. "Never."

"I have been watching you, other-worlder. Why do you distrust the village of the Leaf?"

"I'm not sure what would happen if I told them where I came from. I don't have any information of their mentalities and general outlooks to judge whether or not they'll brand me a madman and kill me on sight. The only other option I had was to use their alliance with this 'Village of the Sand' to my advantage so I could come up with another plan."

"And did you?"

"Of course." Bruce turned away from the sage, glancing up at the upside-down city. "Why are you helping me?"

"I predict that you will be of great aid in shaping the Child of Prophecy."

"Child of Prophecy?"

"It was prophesied that a child, born from hardship, would save this world from peril. This day grows nearer and nearer, and I sense that the boy will need your presence for the trials to come."

"I see..." Bruce glanced at the palm of his hand. "My chakra... it seems different than that of regular shinobi."

"Your chakra is a mixture of two opposing forces of nature. Yin and Yang... Ninshuu in its purest form."

"I'm flattered."

The Sage nodded before he closed his eyes. "Chakra represents one's inner soul. The feeling of one's chakra is an indication of their heart and what it contains. You are one who holds great sadness and pain within your heart and manifests itself in black. You seem to have used this in a way that can produce good, thus your darkness is shrouded in light. Will it change, I wonder?" He reopened them, turning his attention to the sky below. "The time for awakening approaches. Before I take my leave, I will give you advice that may help you. The Leaf is a place that can be trusted... and the reason is simple. The Child of Prophecy... resides there."

"He does...?" Bruce was unable to question him further, as he eyes opened and his sight was greeted with Anko in his face. She had an eerie smile and her eyes were closed, something which alarmed Bruce for some reason.

"C'mon, boy toy," She said. "It's time to get a move on."

* * *

After an hour of traveling through the hot desert, the squad had arrived in the village. It was different from Konoha. It was surrounded by a rock wall, and the buildings were taller, with a more figure eight like structure. They had come up to the entrance of the wall, where two guards were dressed in a similar attire to the shinobi of the Leaf but with a veil covering their heads and the sides of their face, their vests were brown and had shoulder guards, and the symbol on their forehead protectors being different from them as well as it was a symbol of a sand clock of some kind.

Asuma walked up to them, handing them a permission slip. They checked it over, nodded to each other before stepping aside, letting the squad through. The squad made a B-line for what could be assumed to be the Kazekage's building. On the way to the main office, they ran into two women in the hall. The one on the right was a young woman with teal eyes and sandy blonde hair, which was gathered into four consecutive ponytails. She wore a short-sleeved, black kimono that reached down to her legs, with slits along the side and a somewhat revealing neckline. She had a red sash tied around her waist, on her hands were fingerless black gloves and she wore her forehead protector on her forehead. The other one had straight chin-length brown hair, dark eyes and fair skin. She wore a dark shirt with a skirt of the same colour, a Sunagakure flak jacket and a black forehead protector over her neck.

Kurenai stepped forward, addressing the blond woman. "Temari-san." She greeted.

She nodded at her respectfully. "I've received your message about your prisoner. Because of the current situation, we can't really deal with him. For now, he'll have to stay at our prison facility and-"

A Sunagakure shinobi ran up to the group and politely interrupted. "Temari-sama, Haruno-san has managed to restore Kankuro-sama!"

Temari eyes widened in pleasant surprise. She blinked twice before inhaling slightly, struggling not to show emotion in front of outsiders "That's... good. Matsuri," She turned to the girl beside her. "Take the prisoner to the holding cell and guard him until this situation is resolved."

"But Temari-sama...!"

"I know you want to join the search, but we need some bodies here in the village, just in case. Our allies are also searching so we'll hear word of it soon."

Matsuri nodded disappointingly before Anko walked up, handing Bruce over to her. "Be careful. He's a slick one." She warned with a wink to him. Bruce did nothing in reply. Matsuri bowed her head in respect to Temari before escorting Bruce across the village to a nearby building. Inside were a three holding cells, all were empty. He was taken to the middle one, sitting down on the cold stone floor after the door was shut. Matsuri stood outside of the bars, unsure of what to do and now simply looked down, doing unremarkable things such as twisting her foot on the floor like girls do when they're shy.

"Um..." She started, avoiding eye contact. "Are you... hungry?"

Bruce gave her a fake smile. "No, thank you... but there is a request I would like to make. Can I have some books to read in here?"

A little surprised by his supposed pleasant disposition, she nodded with a polite smile. "Y-yes. Prisoners are allowed to read."

After giving her the subjects of the books he wanted, she nodded and sent out a shinobi for the books. Hours later, Bruce had obsessively combed through as much knowledge as possible. He had learned the basic signs for summoning jutsus (Dog, Bird, Tiger, etc...) and a few jutsus he could learn as they were covered in the basic academy texts. Unfortunately, he couldn't practice them at the moment. What he needed was an escape plan. Another kunoichi walked in. She was about Matsuri's age, with fair-skin, long, dark hair and large, brown eyes framed by noticeable eyelashes. She wore the standard attire of the Sunagakure shinobi with a flak jacket, a dark skirt, two arm-guards and the forehead protector of the Sunagakure village. Her flak jacket was similar to a chest protector which was worn over a short plain shirt, revealing her bare stomach. Additionally, she wore black stockings.

"Yukata-chan!" Matsuri greeted.

"Hey, what're you doing here?"

"Guard duty. Hey, could you watch him for a second, I have to go fetch something."

Yukata had no hesitation in saying yes. She seemed to be a positive girl, eager to agree and help. Bruce just thought of something. Of course, the superego, the human, hated to death what he planned to do but the id, the monster, didn't care so long as the objective was achieved. It'll just be something he has to live with. Like everything else.

After Matsuri ran out, Yukata walked over to the cell and took in the sight of their prisoner. Her cheeks instantly became a nice rosy pink. She wasn't absolutely not expecting him to be so... handsome. She quickly turned around facing away from the bars, staring at the ground bashfully.

"Excuse me." His deep but serene voice cut into her hearing like a knife and before she was even aware of it, she spun around and responded.

"Yes?" Inwardly, she kicked herself for her immediate reaction but tried to regain some composure. It didn't work.

As she turned around, he feigned shock at her appearance. Bruce slowly rose from his sitting place before walking over to the bars, leaning in very seductively. "You... are very beautiful. I'm amazed. I didn't think I'd encounter someone like that here." He complimented.

"Oh..." She smiled to herself, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her smile slowly vanished before she looked up at the man, staring him directly in the eyes. "Why are you in here?"

Bruce sighed. He turned around, shrugging. "I... admired the Kazekage. I... I wanted to be like him, move like him. I guess my ambition took me too far and I tried to learn a forbidden jutsu... I'm locked up here until further notice."

"I'm sorry."

Bruce shook his head solemnly. "No, it was my fault. I was too overzealous and I deserve whatever punishment the Kazekage will issue."

She felt sorry for him. She really couldn't help it. In the end, he really just wanted to be like the person he admired more than anything. She could honestly relate to that. "Don't worry. Gaara-sama is a good person. He will forgive you, for sure!"

Bruce gently laid his forehead on the bars, smiling at her softly. "You're right... your confidence really helps me."

Yukata bashfully looked away. Her hand reached through the bars and softly grasped Bruce's. She turned back to him, her eyes becoming starry as she lost herself in his ocean blue. The grip on his hand became tighter as she brought her face closer to the bars. No words were needed as they both closed their eyes and their lips met through the prison that separated them.

Yukata wasn't ashamed to admit she was enjoying this immensely. It was almost as if she were in a romance novel of some sort. Just as she began using her tongue, Bruce raised his hand, bringing it near the back of her head. He raised his hand and then chopped her quickly and precisely in the neck. She dropped like a stone, spread out on the floor like a rag doll. Bruce bent down, and then took out a kunai knife. He then used the tip to unlock the door. Looking down at her, Bruce felt a twinge of guilt in his heart but he had to push through it. It was necessary. At least, that's what he told himself. He knelt down, scooped her up in his arms and walked back into his cell. He laid her in the bed, removed her headband and took her ninja supplies.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. He bent over and kissed her forehead before throwing the sheet over her, leaving the cell, locking the door and then exiting the building. Putting on the headband, Bruce drew no attention on the streets as he moved through the village. Luckily for him, not many people had seen him taken into the building and the ones who had were not around, apparently.

After a bit of walking, he made it to the outskirts of the village. He managed to get out without being seen, finding himself in the desert beyond.

" _The textbooks spoke of a dome weaved of sensory chakra triggers. Only some villages have these. Surprisingly, Sunagakure isn't one of them._ " He strapped the ninja supplies onto his hip. _"The forest is a few miles from here. If I'm going to do what needs to be done, I need to follow these huge chakra presences that I can feel. This is strange but I'm slowly getting used to it. My battle prowess won't be effective until I've mastered the basics and a fight that will push me to my near-death limit should help with that. Time to go."_

* * *

Naruto and Kakashi jumped away from the bomb blasts above. A man wearing a black cloak with red clouds adorning it was flying on a white bird and sending explosives raining down on the two. Naruto growled, his hair becoming wilder, his teeth and nails becoming sharper and his eyes growing red with his pupil becoming slits.

"Damn you..." Naruto muttered. **"GIVE GAARA BACK!"** Red chakra began swirling around him, his body overflowing with an intense rage.

"Naruto!"

Naruto howled to the wind. "I'm gonna kick your ass, no matter what!"


	5. Chapter 5: These Eyes

Bruce had finally made it to the tree lines and with great effort, he pumped chakra into his legs and then jumped onto a tree branch. Upon balancing himself, Bruce took out the pouch and checked the supplies. Smoke bombs, tags with the words "explosives" written on them and scrolls. Bruce had read that the tags are supposed to be wrapped around a kunai handle and activated with chakra for detonation. The scrolls were supposed to hold items somehow. He didn't understand how. Not yet, anyway.

Putting the pouch back on his leg, Bruce closed his eyes for a moment and allowed the encompassing feeling of the varying chakra signatures to process in him. He could feel, quite clearly in fact, the chakras of people in various directions but that wasn't all. He could feel chakra _everywhere._ In _everything._ He has never felt something like this, not as vividly as he did. It was a strange feeling. The clouds, the trees, the ants and even the rocks had this and it was so overwhelming that it began giving him a headache. Bruce opened his eyes, his vision blurry for a few moments from letting the chakra in. Focusing on the task at hand, Bruce began jumping through the trees, heading towards the targeted chakra signature.

"Halt." A deep voice commanded. Bruce stopped on a tree branch and saw a man standing on a tree above. He was standing perpendicular to the tree trunk and parallel to the ground some odd feet below. The man had onyx eyes under which were long, pronounced tear-troughs. He had jet-black hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail and his face was framed with center-parted bangs that extended to his chin. He wore a black cloak with red clouds adorning it and a slashed forehead protector on his forehead. It had the same symbol all Konoha shinobi had. His cloak was unbuttoned mid-chest and his arm rested there. Underneath it was mesh armour with navy accents under an identical T-shirt with a simple white belt around the waist and dark blue pants. On his right ring finger was a ring, which was red and bore the kanji for "vermilion". He wore purple nail polish on his fingers and toes and a necklace that had three silver rings with red gems inside them. "You will not pass any further."

"Are you going to stop me from saving my leader?"

"That facade will not work on me... I know you do not belong in this world."

Bruce's eyes widened as the mysterious man's eyes changed. "These eyes..." They became red, with three tomoes swirling around the pupil on a faint circle. "See all!"

He brought his fingers to his mouth, before blowing a humongous ball of fire at him. Bruce jumped out of the way, the stray flames managing to singe his clothes and skin. He landed on another tree branch, looking wildly for the enemy. Bruce felt a flutter behind him and when he turned the man nearly stabbed him in the eye. Bruce caught his wrist, before twisting it and side kicking him. The man blocked it with his shin before jumping off his leg and flipped over Bruce. In mid-air, he twisted his waist and tried to kick Bruce in the side of the head, who managed to block it with his arm, and knocked him off the branch onto the grass below.

" _Damn... he just broke my arm..."_

Bruce sat up, glaring at the man as he stared down at him from the tree. Bruce took out some shuriken and threw at the man but he moved fast, shifting his body out of the way before catching the last projectile with his pinky.

Bruce got up, reaching for a kunai. "Who are you?"

"My name is irrelevant. Show me what you can do."

" _Basic shinobi techniques won't do anything. At this moment, I can't beat this man. I need to retreat."_

Bruce threw a smoke bomb at him before jumping up to the trees, rushing away from him as fast as he can. He didn't get very far, as the man appeared before him in a flutter of crows. He kicked Bruce in the stomach, launching him into a tree trunk, his body then falling to the forest floor. On the ground, Bruce coughed and tried to fight the immense pain in his gut. The man was suddenly on another tree trunk, high above him. He brought his fingers to his mouth again and sent down a fireball that was even bigger than the last one. The attack burned most of the area, nearly causing a forest fire. After the blazes died down, in Bruce's place was a tree log.

"Hm."

Bruce was crouched in a tree, away from the man's sight. He was breathing extremely hard, his veins popping out of his skull and a slight trickle of saliva trailing down his chin. _"That... was hard... Is the Substitution Jutsu really a basic technique?"_

Bruce shook his head, trying to focus despite the wracking pain across his body. Taking out a kunai, he wrapped an explosive tag and prepared to throw it. Just as he painfully activated it, the man was suddenly in front of him and grabbed his wrist in a vice-grip.

"I told you..." Bruce's eyes widened as the spark on the tag became brighter. "These eyes see all."

BOOM! From the plume of smoke, Bruce came falling down, parts of his skin slightly burned and some of his clothes on light fire. Just before the tag had exploded, Bruce had managed to kick the man in the stomach, releasing his grip and allowing him to jump back. The blast launched him further, putting him in even more pain than he actually was. From where the man was in the smoke, a flock of crows flew out. Groaning, Bruce slowly rose to his feet and tried to focus. He was in bad shape. His head hurt, his body was sore, blood was trailing down from his forehead and he had a few minor burns on his skin. To make things worse, the crows that flew away earlier came back and gather in a single spot on a tree. They flew again and in their place was the man, with no evidence of harm on his person.

Bruce spat out blood, before glaring at the man. "What do you want with me?"

The man stayed silent, simply staring down at him coldly. His eyes began to spin rapidly but other than that, nothing changed. Bruce looked at his surroundings and found no difference in the environment. Deciding to take action, Bruce pulled out some shuriken and threw them at the man before jumping behind bush, hiding in the foliage.

" _Let's try this one..."_ Putting his hands in the tiger seal, he focused his chakra. His stomach churned, his skin felt as if it were on fire and he was struggling not to keel over. "Clone Jutsu!" Two poofs of smoke appeared on each side of him and when it cleared, two exact copies of him were made. After performing the jutsu, Bruce had to forcefully slam his palm on the tree branch to keep his balance. It was a struggle, trying not to pass out. With each jutsu, the pain just got worse and worse. Being attacked wasn't helping, either.

The clones jumped out from the trees, trying to draw the man's attention. The man appeared before the Bruce that was still crouched in the trees. This Bruce smirked and jumped off, revealing an explosive tag on the tree. It exploded, breaking the tree in half. The real Bruce and his clone stopped on another tree, looking back at the smoke from the explosion. Bruce's eyes narrowed as the man jumped out of the smoke towards him. Bruce jumped back, flipped upside down and threw some shuriken. His arm cramped up from the throw and when the projectiles hit their target, crows flew out from him once more. Bruce suddenly felt a knee being dug into his gut from above and the force was powerful enough to send him flying into the ground, forcing his clone to disappear in a puff of smoke. The man landed on him, restraining his arms with his feet. Bending down, he grabbed Bruce's neck and squeezed it tightly, choking him.

"Know... despair." The man's eyes began to change, the tomoes becoming a shuriken-like in shape. "Tsukuyomi."

Bruce was now in another world completely. It was similar to his own inner mind, with the red sky and black clouds. They were in an endlessly open space, with Bruce trapped in a guillotine. He looked at the man standing before him.

"You are in my world now – a world of Darkness. Here, a few days is only a few seconds in the outside world. Here, you will now despair."

The guillotine came speeding down when all of a sudden, the spell was broken and Bruce was back in the real world. The man was now a distance away and standing before him were Asuma and Kurenai, their backs to him. Behind him, Anko had his head on her lap.

" _Did he... undo it?"_

"Anko! Keep him... safe. We'll take of Itachi... somehow." Asuma commanded, channeling chakra into his trench knives.

Itachi turned away from them. "I have no interest in you. This test is over. We will meet again." Itachi's body disappeared in a flock of crows, leaving the four alone in the forest. Bruce turned his head and coughed up blood, struggling to stay awake.

"He needs medical attention." Kurenai rushed over to him while Anko gently laid in his head in the grass. Kurenai knelt down by his side and unrolled a scroll. She undid the seal and on the paper was medical supplies. She and Anko worked together, working on the injuries on his body. Asuma stood a few feet away, staring down at Bruce's body. He wasn't unconscious, which was impressive. He seemed to be in incredible pain.

" _Maybe that's what he gets for trying to-"_

"Are you listening?" Kurenai snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, yes?"

"Then help out!"

"I am! I'm... keeping watch..."

Kurenai simply sighed and shook her head, before wrapping a gauze around Bruce's arm. After they were done, Bruce immediately jumped to his feet.

"What the hell are you doing?" Anko questioned. Bruce didn't answer. Pumping chakra into his legs, he jumped off, pushing himself to get to his destination. He could sense the chakra of those who were following behind him but he payed them no mind. He focused on what was ahead. All the wild chakra presences had died down a bit, meaning the fighting had ended. They were all around each other, meaning that they were surrounding something. He suspected it was the Kazekage.

Landing in the clearing, Bruce looked ahead to see familiar faces. The young ninjas at the ramen stand, a man with gravity defying gray hair and a mask covering half his face. He wore his heaband over his right eye and besides fingerless plated gloves, he wore the standard uniform for a Konoha shinobi. There was also an old woman there along with a few other Konoha shinobi he had not seen before. Bruce began stalking forward, unnoticed for a few moments.

The blond boy, Naruto, shut his eyes as he closed his fist, digging his nails into his palm. "Damn it... why... why did you have to die?! You were the Kazekage, goddamnit!"

"Calm down, young man." The old lady calmly requested.

With tears running down his enraged face, Naruto spun around and pointed at her accusingly. "Shut up! I don't wanna hear anything outta you! If you goddamned Suna shinobi hadn't cursed him with this beast in the first place, he never would've died! Do you... do you understand even a little the kind of shitty life he had?!" Naruto shut his eyes painfully, the tears continuing to flood down. "Damn the Jinchuriki... You have no right... to label and use us as if we were monsters...!" His tears fell to the grass beneath his feet, his sobbing becoming pronounced and his sadness clear. He didn't notice Bruce walk forward as he put his face in his arm. The other shinobi did, however, but upon seeing his headband, assumed he was another Suna shinobi. Kakashi stared at him suspiciously for a few moments, trying to place him as he seemed familiar. He simply disregarded the notion, too exhausted to pursue it any further in thought.

In the trees, Asuma and the two kunoichi watched as he walked forward, towards the Kazekage's body.

"He's dead..." Asuma observed grimly. He made a move to stop Bruce but Kurenai held out her arm.

"Wait..." She said. She narrowed her eyes at Bruce. "What is he going to do...?"

Back in the grassy field, Bruce faked a devastated state. "Is he..."

Sakura nodded sadly. Bruce ran forward, kneeling down at Gaara's corpse. "No... NO! GAARA-SAMA!"

The old woman walked forward, kneeling before Gaara. "I can revive him." She stated.

Shocked, the ninjas looked towards her. "You can?!"

She nodded at Naruto. She held out her hands, placing them right over his stomach. "Reanimation Jutsu." Her hands were surrounded by a sphere of blue chakra but seconds later, it fazed out, leaving her gasping for breath.

"What happened?!" Naruto demanded.

"I... don't have enough chakra. I will need someone to help."

Naruto nodded and began to step forward but Bruce had beaten him to the punch. "I'll do it."

"Hey, wait-"

"No! This my leader. My role model. I will do this, not you, outsider."

"You son of a-"

"Naruto!" Kakashi stopped him. "Enough."

The old woman turned to him. "You seem to be battle worn. You may not have enough chakra for this and it may just kill you."

Bruce nodded firmly. "I am prepared for that."

She nodded in return. "Let's begin." Bruce placed his hand on her shoulder. Pushing past the pain, he put forth his chakra. The woman performed the jutsu and then everything went black.

* * *

Bruce opened his eyes to see he was in an empty, white space. It was endlessly infinite, not a thing in site except for the Kazekage himself, just a few feet away from him.

"Who... who are you?" He questioned.

Bruce looked at his hands, checking over his body and then looking around the space once more. With an emotionless look, he turned his attention to Gaara. "I didn't think this would actually work..."

"Who are you?" Gaara asked again, this time with more force.

"I, with the help of an elderly woman, just saved your life. Every breath you take, you owe to me."

Gaara stared at him blankly. "It seems you do not seek thanks."

"No." Bruce replied bluntly. "I come from another world, a world where ninjas don't run on walls and spew fire from their mouths. I am not one who belongs here and I must find my way home. That being said, I need to blend in as much as possible. The ones from Konoha don't believe of my residency as a Suna shinobi. I need you to make it official. I was an ex-nin who was being punished for trying to unlawfully learn a Forbidden Jutsu and, after saving your life, was discharged in the care of the Hokage."

Gaara crossed his arms. "Do you intend to harm Konoha?"

Bruce cocked a half smile. "Who knows?"

Gaara glared at the man, not sure whether to believe him or not. He could be hallucinating, he could be endangering his allies of the Leaf but regardless, it would seem he owed him. "Fine..." He began, somewhat reluctantly. "I will do as you ask. I do not know if you are indeed telling the truth... and if you are lying, seeking to hurt Konoha in any manner... I will entrap your body within my sand, suffocate you and end you once and for all."

Bruce turned his back to him, unfazed by his threat. "You do that."

The world around them became brighter until neither of them could see each other anymore. And then, the blackness returned.

* * *

Bruce opened his eyes to see he was now in his inner mind. He groaned as he sat up from where he lay. Before him, floated the Sage.

"You have been quite busy, other-worlder. I must say, I am impressed by your resourcefulness and tenacity. The plan you spoke of, was that it?"

"For the most part. I needed someway to keep myself alive awhile longer. The shinobi tried to keep it discrete, but I gathered that their leader was not there and in possible danger. On the streets, after I escaped, I overheard them talking about a retrieval team and on it, a woman by the name of Chiyo. I read of her in their history books, of a woman who knew of a forbidden jutsu that could revive the dead. In this world, I had to suspend my disbelief and go after her. I suspected that the leader was either dead or near-death and that she would have to revive him. I reasoned that if I could provide my own chakra, the leader would be indebted to me and the woman may not have died. I didn't expect to pass out nor to meet the leader in a sort of limbo. What was that?"

"It seemed that once you used what was left of your chakra, you entered a near-death state yourself. Your chakra, using Chiyo as medium crossed paths with Gaara's as he was coming back to life. Both of your states of chakra, yours falling and his rising, met in a sort of crossroad – a place where your chakras manifested and allowed you to meet." The Sage began rubbing his beard. "But your plan... it depended very much on a variety of uncontrollable events, did it not?"

"True. I wasn't sure if she would've even survived, if he would be dead or not, or if I could've been any help at all. Truthfully... the plan depended on sheer adaptability and luck." He admitted this with some distaste in his mouth, clenching his fist as he clearly was annoyed by this fact. "I also didn't expect to run into that man... that man with the strange eyes. He somehow knew who I was... who was he and why was he toying with me?"

"Itachi Uchiha. A genius among his clan, excelling at everything conceivable to a ninja. At age 13, he slaughtered his entire clan and then left his village. His eyes, the Sharingan, can copy any jutsu and analyze a person's chakra. He has always been one to perceive what others cannot. His reasons always were a mystery to others, even his own brother's..."

Bruce glanced at the sky below them. "I see... I need to get stronger. If I meet him again, I'll be ready."

"He may not hold back next time."

"I wouldn't ask him to."

"It seems the time for you to awaken has come." The Sage's eye glowed and Bruce's world swirled before disappearing in a space of black – again.

* * *

Bruce opened his for one final time and his sight met with a white ceiling. He tried to turn his head but soon realized what a terrible idea that was when pain ran down his neck through his spine. He tried his damnedest not to scream in pain, a feat far more difficult than it sounded.

"You're a very strong man." Bruce shifted his eyes to the right of him. Sitting in chair was the buxom Hokage herself, cross legged and looking at him. Her mood couldn't be perceived.

"You..." Bruce's voice was raspy and his throat was croaked and dry.

"You're in Konoha now. The squad who escorted who had to drag you home. Asuma didn't seem the least bit excited about it. You really are more slick than you seem."

Bruce didn't reply, just kept listening to her. "They also brought back a letter from the Kazekage himself, detailing your position as a Suna nin and requesting you to be transferred here instead. So, it would seem, your story checked out." She got out of her chair and stood over the bedridden man. "Until he left a code at the bottom of the letter, a secret message to be read only by fellow Kage to warn them. He told me of your story and everything in between. I found it... interesting, to say the least. It was too hopeful to think the Kazekage wouldn't warn us. His friend, Naruto Uzumaki, is someone he would never endanger and so he entrusted me and my judgment to deal with you."

"So..." Cough, cough. "Are you going to... kill me?"

Tsunade put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "No. I have no good reason to, not yet. You saved the Kazekage, even if it was for self-preservation. We'll test you further, see if you can be an asset to this village."

"Why...?"

A half-smile crept onto Tsunade's face. "Who knows?" She turned on her heel and began for the door. "Your training begins tomorrow!"

" _Training...?"_

Just before exiting the door, she turned to him with a smirk. "I hope you're not easily breakable." With that, she left the room, leaving Bruce to ponder on her behavior.

* * *

Author's Note: Right! Chapter 5, over and done with. Now, I just wanted to clear a few things. Firstly, I am not planning this story out. My style of writing is to put the idea out there and develop it as it goes. I have only a general idea for where I want this to go so I'm just fill out the details along the way. Secondly, who do you want Batman to be with? I have three women who I'm definitely putting him with but who would guys like to see? I may not accept all of them but I might take a few suggestions. And no, this will not be a harem. While I personally have nothing against the idea of harems in stories, I just think I wouldn't be able to write it well, tbh. Thirdly, I know Batman's getting owned so far but don't worry! He _**will**_ be awesome (eventually). I am _**not**_ Geoff Johns. I will not make Batman look stupid (on purpose). He will be the underdog for awhile but just remember, all anime protagonists are weak in the beginning but OP by the end, so just bear with it. It's a whole process. And finally, a quick announcement: I am working on two new stories involving Batman and they will be published in September. If you enjoy my depictions of Batman, check out my title series I'll be writing him in which is "Batman Chronicles" (without the "Adventure" in the name). Alright then, now that that's out of the way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the story so far, leave a review, fav, follow and share it for all of the world to see. Until next time.

Green out.


	6. Chapter 6: Training the Bat

"Transformation Jutsu!" Bruce transformed himself, becoming an exact copy of Tsunade. He was able to hold it for five seconds.

"You seem to be getting better." Tsunade commented, her arms crossed under her chest.

Bruce had been at this for five hours. During that time, he learned the basic techniques, practicing them under supervision. This has been one of the most difficult five hours he has ever experienced. He was ready to collapse. His body had been repeatedly practicing jutsus, his nerves already shot from having just used up enough to bring him to a near-death state. The only reason he was even standing now was because he was a stubborn son of a bitch.

Seeing his fatigue, Tsunade smirked. "Do you need a break?"

"Hmph. I'm fine. What's-" His legs disagreed with him. He knees suddenly buckled under him and he collapsed to the grass below. Sighing, Tsunade strode over, standing over him.

"It's to be expected." She said. "Your chakra network has been worked raw from using so much chakra yesterday. The only thing keeping you alive now is the only thing what kept you alive then... your willpower and unbelievable tolerance for pain. Are you, by any chance, a closet masochist?"

Bruce growled, but didn't have the energy to retort. Throwing her pigtail over her shoulder, Tsunade turned on her heel and walked away. "Let's call it a day for-"

She was interrupted when she heard rustling behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Bruce had once again risen to his feet. He was wobbling, but he was on his two feet with his head back, letting the sweat drip to the floor. He looked at her, giving her a fierce look that she had only seen on a few men, one being a particular hyperactive blonde boy she knew.

"What's..." Pant. "...next?" Pant.

She closed her eyes and smiled. "You're determined, I'll give you that. But if you move like a fool, you'll just fall like a fool." With speed he couldn't react to, she moved and was in front of him in seconds. She reached out with her finger and tapped it him on the forehead. With no resistance whatsoever, he fell back on the grass. "When you're able to stand again, there is an escort waiting outside of the training area. He will take you to your place of residence. You will be a sharing a room with another Konoha shinobi. I get the feeling that you two will enjoy each other's company. And if you're still so bent on learning more, here." She reached into her blouse and pulled out a scroll, tossing it onto his chest. "This lists the types of jutsu a shinobi can specialize in. Read them over carefully and pick two. Tell the escort and he will get you more information on the subject." With that, Tsunade walked off, leaving Bruce lying in the middle of the field, in pain and out of breath.

* * *

After recovering, Bruce was escorted to his place of the night. It was a small apartment on the second floor. During the walk, Bruce had gone over the different jutsu.

" _Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu, fuinjutsu... I can learn ninjutsu just fine. The Hokage would probably cover that. I already know how to fight, the chakra allowing me to go even further. Learning a style or two may prove to be wise in the long-run... Genjutsu, the ability to create illusions... if I ever face that man again then I need to know as much about it as possible. Kenjutsu, the ability to use a sword... I do enjoy holding a sword. Who knows what I could learn here? And fuinjutsu, the ability to seal objects and even people. It could be a helpful venture, but at the moment, it isn't necessary."_

Bruce handed the escort the scroll, along with the names of the subjects he wanted to research. Nodding the escort went to retrieve the knowledge. Bruce walked up the steps, stopping in front of a door. He knocked twice, waiting for a response. Instead, he heard an unnaturally loud scream on the other side.

"OH, DAMN IT! I LEFT MY RAMEN COOKING TOO LONG!" A clang was heard and Bruce could smell smoke. "OH, CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!"

Choosing to act now and ask questions later, he kicked the door down to see unparalleled chaos. The apartment was a ridiculous mess. Ramen cups, frog boxers, Q-tips, you name it and you could find it rotting on the floor. That wasn't the most striking feature of the place, however. It was the blond boy he had seen in Sunagakure, running around in a circle with fire on his arm in nothing but his boxers. The boy stopped running and comically tried to blow out, to no avail. Thinking fast, Bruce ran forward and grabbed the boy's other arm. He spied the bathroom and made a B-line for it, turning the bathtub on. Bruce stuck his arm under the water, putting out the fire and saving the boy's arm. The boy sighed in relief.

"Whew... thanks." He turned to face the man completely, a cheesy grin on his face. "You saved me there!" Naruto's eyes widened in recognition as he pointed towards him accusingly. "YOU! You... you... do I know you?" He brought his fingers to his chin in a thoughtful expression. "I think so... do I? Or not? Maybe not? Or do I? Hmm..."

Bruce wanted to punch him in the face. He honestly did. No amount of discipline or training could have prepared him for this. Nothing could. Nothing.

"Oh, right! You're that guy who saved Gaara. Thanks for that." He held up his hand. Bruce, stoic expression, in place, shook it.

"I suppose you've heard about the arrangement."

"Yeah, something about you being transferred here, right? Tsunade-baa-chan told me that you were gonna live here. She said my apartment's big enough for two."

He looked around, looking at the junkyard he dared to call an apartment. "Sorry, I wasn't able to clean."

"It's fine." He replied stiffly. _"If Alfred were here, he'd sooner burn this apartment than clean it."_

Naruto led him to a corner of the space. "I set up a futon for you so, yeah. You hungry? I can whip up another batch of ramen!"

"I'm fine." Bruce turned around, inspecting the place a little further. Naruto turned on the oven and took out a pack of ramen, placing it on the counter.

"By the way, I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Future Hokage!"

"Komori. Ryu Komori." Bruce replied over his shoulder. He came across a photo. He saw Naruto, the pink haired girl, the masked man and a boy with dark hair who looked like that man. They were all young, at least 13 years of age.

" _Itachi..."_ The man's eyes briefly flashed in his mind. He picked up the photo. "These are your teammates?"

"Yeah!" He chirped. He walked over, pointing at each. "That's Sakura-chan! She's awesome but she's scary as hell when she gets pissed. There's Kakashi-sensei. He's lazy and perverted, but he's taught us a lot and he's cool when he's serious."

"Who's this?" Bruce asked, looking at the dark-haired boy.

Naruto's demeanor shifted completely, going from exuberant to solemn. "That's Sasuke. He was – is – my best friend. He left the village awhile back..."

"Is he related to a man named Itachi?"

"Itachi?! Yeah, that's his brother. How do you know about him?"

"Bingo book." He responded quickly.

"Oh..." Naruto seemed somewhat disappointed but then a big smile on his face found itself on his face. "Anyway, I'm sure this will be-" He sniffed the air twice, before spinning around to see that he had placed the ramen packet far too close to the stove fire. "DAMN IT! NOT AGAIN!" Naruto ran over to it, waving at it with his hands, trying to blow out the fiery packet of noodles while it was still near the stove fire. What resulted from his efforts was that he ignited his other arm. "AHH!" He ran around in circles, leaving Bruce with the near irresistible urge to slam his head into his palm.

* * *

After nearly losing his arm, Naruto had finally succeeded in making a bowl of ramen. After eating dinner, he and his quiet roommate went to sleep. Naruto tossed and turned in his sleep, his cheeks rosy.

"Ah... Sakura-chan... hehe... heh..."

Naruto woke up with a start, realizing, quite sadly, that it was just a dream. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he got up and stumbled to the bathroom. After emptying the tank, he walked back to his bed when he happened to take a glance at the futon and realized no one was on it. Confused, he looked around the apartment to see that his new roommate had vacated the premises. Throwing on some clothes, Naruto left his apartment, jumping through the village to look for him.

"Hmm... I never knew the village was so peaceful at night..." And indeed it was. The moon was shining its crescent shape brightly, the streets were quiet and only nature could be heard. "Now, where am I gonna find this guy...?"

Before he could come up with an answer, he saw a fellow shinobi walking on the streets. This particular shinobi however was walking on his hands. He had large, bushy eyebrows, a bowl-cut hairstyle and large eyes. He wore a green jumpsuit, a flak jacket that was unzipped, orange leg warmers and a red forehead protector worn as a belt. On his hands, were bandages.

"Bushy Brows!" Naruto jumped down from the roof, greeting his friend. Rock Lee pushed off his hands and landed on his feet, greeting Naruto with an energetic smile.

"Naruto-kun! It's so good to see you again! Are you here to train too?!"

"Uh, no, no!" He waved his hands quickly, shaking his head. "Did you happen to see a guy with a scary face walk through here?"

"Oh, yes, I believe I did! I was, however, too preoccupied with my midnight jog so I didn't greet him."

"Did you see where he went?"

"Yes. Follow me." The two ninjas jumped through the rooftops, moving through the night like shadows. Lee led Naruto to an training area in a forest at the edge of the village. Naruto and Lee walked through the trees, coming upon the open field. No one was there but near the training grounds was a mountain.

Squinting his eyes, Lee pointed to the rock. "Naruto-kun, up there!"

"Hm?" Naruto looked up to see Bruce was climbing up the mountain, one of his arms tied behind his back. Sweat was beading off his brow as his body was still in pain, but he ignored the flaring signals in his body and pressed on, determined to get to the top.

"Wonder if he's related to Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto offhandedly wondered.

Fire burned in Lee's eyes. "YOSH! THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHT! COME NARUTO-KUN! LET US CLIMB WITH OUR NEW RIVAL!"

"Uh, no thanks, Bush Brows, I-" He wasn't even listening anymore. He grabbed Naruto's arm and sprinted to the mountain. With one arm, Lee and a reluctant Naruto climbed the mountain after Bruce. Bruce glanced down to see the two climbing after him. He chose to ignore them and simply decided to continue focusing on his training. This was far more difficult than it usually was. His body was in pain, something he was currently fighting and barely managing it. He ascended further, focusing on his footing. He had read about how ninjas can attach themselves to trees and stand on water. That something he planned to learn but his ability to channel chakra produced only pain. He needed to train himself not only to use chakra but his body also needed to be conditioned enough to handle the strain.

After awhile, he made it the top without much incident, sitting cross-legged and staring at the sky. He was sweating but despite that, he had to hold back a smile. He loved doing this. Pushing himself to be the best. Letting the obsession with the goal take over and driving him to do unbelievable things. Bruce's eyes shifted from the sky to the edge of the rock as he saw two hands grab onto it. Lee and Naruto climbed up onto the top as well, sweating beading from Naruto's brow but Lee's a bit less so.

"What are you doing here?" Bruce asked.

"I was... looking for you." His reply came through a couple of pants.

Lee stood up, no worse for wear and ran over to Bruce, holding out his hand energetically. "My name is Rock Lee! Fellow rival of Naruto-kun! Nice to meet you!"

Bruce, somewhat put-off from Lee's cheery attitude, slowly shook the his hand, nodding to him. "Ryu. Ryu Komori."

"Ah, Ryu-san, your training inspires to the flames of my very youthful soul! AH, YOUTH IS AN EXPLOSION!" Fire could be seen circling him as he continued to rant about youth. Bruce motioned for Naruto to come here.

"Is he crazy?" Bruce asked in a whisper.

"I'm... not sure." Naruto replied, equally freaked out. Then, Naruto rose up as well, pumping his fist in the air. "Still, you're pretty cool, climbing the mountain like that."

"I need to get stronger if I'm to keep training with the Hokage."

"WHAT?!" Lee and Naruto shouted in unison.

"You're training with Tsunade-baachan?!" Naruto exclaimed.

Bruce nodded.

"Wow, that's spectacular! Then, you must be strong!" Lee reasoned. Lee got into a fighting stance, with one hand behind his back. "Please spar me! I yearn for any chance to get stronger."

"Now, hold on, Bushy Br-"

"Fine." Naruto turned to Bruce, somewhat shocked. Bruce got into a stance as well. Right now, this was probably the most foolish thing he could be doing. Right now, he really didn't care.

Lee smirked, before running forward, jumping up into the air and trying kick Bruce in the side of the head. Bruce blocked it, but the kick was strong enough to send him sliding to the side. _"He's pretty strong..."  
_

Bruce ran up, flipping onto his hands and with remarkable acrobatic skill did a somersault in to the air. He came down at Lee with a drop kick, using the power from his weight in his favor. Lee blocked the kick with his arm and used his other hand to grab Bruce's leg and throw him on the ground but that failed, as when Bruce went down, he landed on his palms and with his other leg, tried to kick Lee in the chest. Lee blocked the attack with his shin, but it was strong enough to send him sliding back.

"You're quite skilled." Lee complimented, recovering back into his stance.

Bruce too stood on his feet and took up his fighting stance once more. "You're not bad yourself."

The two rushed each other, exchanging quick blows. While Lee was holding back, he still had the upper hand. Bruce, despite being sore and tired, was no slouch and managed to hold his own considerably with the taijutsu expert. By the end of their session, both were panting, Bruce harder than Lee. In respect, Lee bowed to his opponent.

"Thank you for this session. I will use it to further my training! Now, if you'll excuse me." Lee ran to the edge and with his other hand behind his back, descended down the rock.

"So, you're pretty good, after all." Naruto commented.

"You want to test me too?" Bruce asked, somewhat daringly. He just couldn't stop.

Naruto grinned confidently in reply. "I wouldn't lose though. I'm the man who's gonna become Hokage someday so there's no way I can afford to!"

"Hokage? The leader of this village?"

"Yeah, believe it. I'll surpass every Hokage before me and I'll protect everyone within these walls."

Bruce looked at him for a few minutes, his eyes staring into Naruto's. He could see clearly – his resolve. He had no doubt in his voice nor attitude, and wholly believed in his ability to achieve his dream. Bruce closed his eyes, a small smile on his face. "Hmph. You remind me of someone I know. He's a bit smarter than you but you both have the same vibe."

"Heh, what a coincidence. You remind me of someone too."

Bruce crossed his arms. "That boy in the picture?"

"Yeah... Sasuke..."

"Did he pass?"

"No. He... defected." Naruto's hand reached up to the back of his head, scratching it. "I tried to stop him but... I wasn't strong enough. But now..." He looked at his hand, closing into a fist. "Now, after three years, I'm stronger than before. Maybe now, I can reach him. Maybe now, I can save him."

"Save him from what?"

"Vengeance. Vengeance against his brother..."

"And how are you going to save somebody who doesn't want to be saved?"

"What?" Naruto turned to him, confused.

"Assuming he defected out of his own will, why try to save someone against their own desire? Why try to bring him back to a place he no longer wants to be? He has forsaken you. It would be a better use of your energies pursuing that dream of yours. To chase after him in that manner seems selfish on your part."

Naruto smiled sadly. "Yeah... maybe it is selfish. Maybe it would be better if I just forgot about him but..." Naruto looked up at Bruce, the determined glint in his eyes returning full-force. "He's my brother in arms. He's walking down a place where, if he goes too deep, he'll never see light again. So, no matter how it seems, I can't abandon him. Even if I'm a fool for it, I'll chase him to the ends of the earth and bring him back, no matter what! This is the promise I've made!"

"Heh... a fool, huh?" Bruce's mind drifted to his own promise.

" _Forgive me, mother... father... I succumbed to weakness. I feared the pain. Not anymore. No more. I'll never run away again. I'll train hard and change everything. Never again will a little boy wish for death because his parents were taken away from him. Never again will I allow a gun to destroy this family. I swear to you both... I will bring Gotham back. I will uphold the ideals you sought to establish and I will eradicate the crime that robbed you from me. Never again will I allow fear to prevent me from doing what is right. I promise you this... I will protect Gotham City."_

"I guess we're both fools then, racing to achieve the impossible, trying our damnedest to fight the powers that be." Bruce turned and walked toward the edge of the cliff. "I'm going back so I can sleep." Bruce then descended the way he came up, with one hand. Naruto ran after him, following his lead.

* * *

The next day, Bruce stood in the Hokage's office, facing Tsunade who was seated behind the desk. Her assistant, Shizune Kato, a fair-skinned woman of average height and slender build with black eyes and hair. Her hair was straight and shoulder-length with bangs that covered her ears and framed her face. She wore a long bluish-black kimono with white trimmings, held closed by a white obi, and open-toed sandals with low heels. Tsunade was looking over an unrolled scroll.

"I see... so these are the subjects you wish to concern yourself with?"

"Yes. They best suit my fighting style and I'll be able to use them to the fullest."

Tsunade handed two scrolls to Shizune. "Take these to Kurenai and Maruboshi-san. They will teach you genjutsu and kenjutsu, respectively."

Bruce nodded. Tsunade rose up and began walking for the door. "Let's begin your training." Bruce followed her out of the door while Shizune was running after them.

"Tsunade-sama! You didn't finish the paperwork!"

After expertly avoiding finishing the paperwork, Tsunade took Bruce back to the training field. "You seem to be quite quick at picking things up."

"I'm a fast learner."

"You'll have to be. If you're going to be helpful to the village, you need to progress. For that, you will need to gain experience using even the most basic techniques in a battle-type situation. Utilize all of them and try to tag me."

Bruce reached behind him quickly and threw a smoke bomb to the ground. Tsunade took out a kunai and waited. Out of the smoke, two Bruces jumped out and tried to attack her. She backstepped, knowing that if they were clones they couldn't actually touch her. She glanced at their feet, seeing neither of them had no shadow. To her side, a kunai came flying at her. She deflected it with her own kunai as Bruce ran up to her, attempting to tag her from behind. She spun, kicking him in the stomach. Smoke poofed and in Bruce's place, was a kunai. On its handle was an explosive tag that was already fizzing.

BOOM! It exploded, but Tsunade jumped back into the trees, unharmed. From above, two Bruces came down upon her and with excellent accuracy, she threw shuriken at them but they fazed right through them both. Her eyes widened as she realized that now she was in the forest, she couldn't see whether or not the clones had a shadow. Her hand that went behind her after she threw the shuriken was suddenly grabbed. She turned to her side to see Bruce had successfully grabbed her, crouching down near her leg stealthily. She smirked down at him, before she disappeared in a poof of smoke. Bruce's eyes widened as he heard clapping in the field. He turned to see Tsunade standing in the middle of the field, clapping her hands slowly and in somewhat teasing manner with an amused smile on her face.

"Very good. You proved that you can handle Shadow Clones quite well."

Bruce grunted, standing up and walking back into the field. "Now, that you've shown that you can handle the basics in combat situation, it's time for you to improve your chakra control. Improving your chakra control will allow you to use a variety of jutsus, utilize your existing ones more efficiently and allow you to stick to the trees and water."

Hours later, after Tsunade had demonstrated how to run on trees, Bruce had been struggling to make it up the tree. Every time he ran up the tree, he overshot the amount of chakra needed and blew off. This had not only the effect of sending him flying away from the tree, but overshooting the chakra hurt his feet, ankles and shins. After trying for the umpteenth time, Tsunade sighed, shaking her head.

"We'll just try later. For now, go onto the field and wait. Kurenai will be here soon to begin your lessons on genjutsu."

With that, Tsunade disappeared in the trees, presumably going back to the office. Bruce, however, didn't go back to the field right away. He sat there, contemplating why he was having trouble with this. Despite the pain that was coming with it, the constant using of chakra has allowed him to get used to it. The pain is now manageable, no more driving him unconscious. But now, for some reason, he couldn't channel the chakra in the right manner, overshooting or undershooting it instead. Why? What was he missing? He could feel the tree exuding chakra, the energy pouring out of it. He place his palm on it, closing his eyes and letting its life force overtake his senses.

It was subtle energy. It felt warm, positive as it flowed outward from itself. _"Outward..."_ Bruce thought. _"Outward... that's it!"_

With renewed insight, Bruce pressed his foot onto the tree and gently applied his chakra. It stuck. He lifted himself up and repeated this with the other foot. Successful again. He repeated this process, paying special attention to his chakra output. Eventually, he made it to the top of the tree, his feet still sticking on the tree and surprisingly, with no pain.

"You seem to be progressing quite well." Kurenai remarked, standing across from him on a tree branch. Bruce jumped down from the tree, landing quietly in the grass.

"I've heard you're a master of the art of genjutsu."

"That's right." She remarked, a subtle hint of pride in her voice. She dropped down, landing beside him. "Come."

Walking deeper in the forest, Kurenai stood near a small stream. "Genjutsu is the art of disturbing the cerebral nervous system of a ninja. In other words, striking at their five senses with illusions." She stepped onto the water, standing in the middle of the stream. "In order to make genjutsu work, you need to have eye contact, though there can be exceptions." Kurenai clasped her hands together and Bruce felt a shift in the chakra around the environment. The next moment, he felt a sword pierced through his stomach. Gasping for breath, he spit out blood before falling back. The feeling disappeared a second later, and he was brought back to reality where Kurenai was leaning over him and holding her hand out, smiling gently.

"I'm sorry if that was a bit too... graphic."

"I'm fine." He replied, as he got onto his feet. When he stood up, his face and Kurenai's were just a few inches from each other. For a second, they just stared at each other until Bruce finally broke the silence. "Let's go."

Kurenai blushed, turning around quickly. "R-right."

* * *

After going through the basics of genjutsu, its uses and the different manners on how to disrupt it, Bruce was escorted by a shinobi to a rocky hill on the outskirts of the village. It was evening now, nearing dusk as Bruce stood on the hill. It overlooked the village, allowing him to see people and children running about happily and peacefully.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Bruce turned around and was now facing an elderly man with grey hair which he wore in a short ponytail. He wore mesh armour shirt under a short, brown, sleeveless kimono with a pair of grey pants. He carried a wok, a ladle, and a sword that was sheathed horizontally across his lower back.

"Yes. Quite peaceful..." The old man continued. "It is so because of the efforts of the Hokage, the shinobi and the villages themselves, who struggle with daily life, to overcome any loss and provide a pleasant atmosphere."

"Are you Kosuke Maruboshi?"

"Why, yes, I am. I received a message from Hokage-sama about her request to train you. You wish to learn the art of Kenjutsu?"

"Yes."

"Please, follow me. Would you care for a cup of tea?"

"No." Bruce replied in a monotone voice.

"Alright then. Shall we begin?"

Maruboshi tossed Bruce a katana. Bruce unsheathed it, seeing it was new. He glanced up at the man. "Are you certain you want to trust me, someone you don't know, with a real blade?"

The man smiled sagely. "You can't fool these old eyes. Despite being a genin for 50 years, I have seen much battle and I can tell you know more than you show. You seem to have an air of a battle-worn swordsman, so that saves us from having to go through the basics. Shall we go over the effectiveness of using chakra and the blade?"

Bruce unsheathed the blade, aiming it at the old man. "Let's go."

* * *

In the outskirts of a village far away from Konohagakure no Sato, three men sat in a small shack, a candle being their only source of light. A man walked into the shack, coming up to the three.

"Have you done it?" He asked in a remarkably deep voice.

"Yes. I made the request today. It should reach their ears soon." One of them replied.

"Good. The first part will commence immediately afterwards."

"The Akatsuki have been moving too. Do you think they are strong enough to destroy the Leaf?"

"If they were, they would've done it by now."

"I think Danzo is onto us. He has Root looking into our activities." Another informed.

"That old fool is paranoid but for good reason. He won't find out. None of them will, until it's too late." The man raised his fist in the air. "We _**will**_ destroy the Will of Fire."

* * *

A.N.: And that's Chapta 6, people. Things are moving forward as Batman seems to be getting the hang out of things. Let me know what you think and also, as a reminder, any requests for Bats to be paired up with should be given as soon as possible because after a certain point, I won't be able to focus on that aspect anymore. So let me know what you'd like to see and you may just see the pairing written! See ya guys next time.

Green out.


	7. Chapter 7: The First Mission

Huff, huff, huff. Bruce was breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his brow. It had been a week since he started training with Maruboshi, Kurenai and the Hokage. So far, he had become adept at the basics, even managing to learn slightly more advanced jutsu, had improved his chakra control well enough to run on trees and was learning to walk on water, can produce basic genjutsu and is now currently sparring against Maruboshi, learning to channel chakra into his blades. This proved more difficult than it appeared, as it required more precise chakra control and it also required you to maintain it. It was like tensing your arm to its max and then trying to throw a speedy jab.

"Do you need a break, Komori-kun?"

"No." He replied quickly. He raised the swords he wielded in each hand. "Let's go."

With surprising speed, Maruboshi ran forward, channeling chakra into his sword. He swung down at Bruce but he sidestepped and Maruboshi cleaved a rock instead. Bruce tried to stab him but Maruboshi jumped up and, using his sword for balance, flipped to the other side of the cleaved rock. Early on in the training, Bruce had very quickly learned not to underestimate nor to hold back on this man. He was far stronger, durable and more agile than he seemed. Bruce ran forward, attempting to channel chakra into his blades, the end result being the swords cloaked in a huge blanket of it. Bruce's arms felt as if on fire, the swords feeling like weights in his hands. Bruce tried to swing the sword but Maruboshi quickly swiped the blades, knocking them out of Bruce's hand.

"Lack of control. You must thin your chakra, not add it to the blade carelessly. Pick up you blades and let us try again."

* * *

After the kenjutsu training, Bruce was exhausted. Long after Maruboshi had left, Bruce had remained on the mountain, unhealthily obsessed with getting the chakra control just right. He had only managed to make it slightly smaller.

"Damn..." Bruce sat back against a rock, catching his breath. His eyelids felt heavy and soon, he was unable to stop himself from closing them. The next moment he found himself in a purple world, hazy clouds floating around.

"Hey!" Bat-mite floated up behind him, a grin on his face.

"What do you want?" Bruce asked curtly.

"Aw, don't be mean, Batman! You're doing well so far. You seem to be in a lot of pain though."

"What... do... you want?" He said with more emphasis.

"Ah! Well, I just wanted to let ya know, that my friends have been watching you too and they're starting to come around about you. If you keep this up, you may have a fanbase in the 5th dimension!"

"Great..."

"Isn't it?!" Bat-mite twirled around happily. "Anywho, I just wanted you to know that you're going to be using your newfound skills preeettty soon. It should be fun to watch!"

Bruce's eyebrow twitched, his annoyance reaching dangerous levels.

"Don't let us down, 'kay? Buh-bye now!" Bat-mite snapped his fingers and Bruce woke up, still sitting where he was before.

"Yo!" Bruce turned to his right to see the purple haired woman, Anko, sitting in a tree, eating some dango while swinging her legs childishly. "You've been sleepin' real comfortably for awhile, ya know?"

Bruce stood up, grunting softly. "You've been watching me?"

"Maybe. Maybe I even did stuff to ya in your sleep." She winked.

"What are you doing here?"

She jumped down, walking up to him with the pick in her mouth. "Tsunade-sama sent me to get you. She wants to see you in her office."

Bruce and Anko, who happily continued munching on some dango, walked through the village until they made it to the Hokage Building. Bruce and Anko went inside, ascended the stairs before stepping inside the main office of the building. Behind the desk, Tsunade sat with a headband in her hand.

"Here," She tossed him the headband. "This now solidifies your alignment with the Leaf. Congratulations, Ryu Komori. You're with us now."

Bruce stared down at the symbol on the metal slab for a few moments, before putting it in his pocket. "Something tells me that wasn't all."

"Indeed. It's time for your first test. We're going to send you on a mission."

Bruce narrowed his eyes slightly. _"What's she playing at?"_

"You are becoming more and more adept at the basics that take others months to master. You should, by now, be able to handle yourself on a low-rank mission. With a team, of course."

He couldn't understand why she was sending him on a mission already. Was she trying to test him? He had only been training for a week and a half. _"... I get it. She wants to see how advanced I am, what I might be holding back. She basically wants to know what an other-worlder can do. She doesn't trust me yet so she'll probably send someone she trusts and that can handle themselves on the mission with me, just in case. She's cautious."_

"You will be taking a C-rank delivery mission. We need to formalize our relationship with a village just beyond the borders of the Land of Fire. It is known as the Village of the Moon. It would be helpful for this village to be on our side, as it is on one of our trade routes. We are sending a message alongside a gift for the village leader, so this should go smoothly without much incident. Anko!" She stood at attention. "You will be leading Komori and another genin on this mission."

Anko smirked at this. "Yes, ma'am."

After leaving the office, Bruce and Anko stood in hall. The purple haired kunoichi turned to Bruce with a sultry smile, pressing up against his arm. "It seems like you and me are going to get to spend some time together."

Bruce turned and walked away. "I'll go get ready."

She sighed. "No fun at all..."

Bruce walked until he made it to the forest he first came upon when he escaped the interrogation building. He continued until he came upon the rock. He moved it and pulled out his batsuit. _"Time to change."_

* * *

At the main gate, Naruto and Anko stood waiting for their third member. Naruto was tapping his foot impatiently while Anko enjoyed a stick of dango.

"Geez, where is he? I'm set to go already!"

"Calm down, kiddo. He'll be here soon. Probably..."

"Hm?" Naruto turned his head to see someone walking towards them. He was wearing an overcoat over a suit of some kind. The suit had gloves with three fin-like blades sticking out of the side, a red bat symbol in the middle of the chest and a cowl of some sort hanging off his neck like a hood. He wore black tactical boots, with a yellow belt around his waist and another yellow belt diagonally across his chest. Strapped diagonally across the small of his back was a sword and on his right hip was another sword. Neither of them had guards and both were in black sheaths. The coat parted in the middle at the bottom. Bruce's entire outfit was black, excluding the hints of red on the blades of his gloves, his boots, the symbol and the red lenses in the cowl. In the middle of the belt, also, was the metal slab with the Leaf's symbol on it.

"Shall we go?"

Naruto gaped at him. "Woah, you look cool!"

Anko gave him a once over, an approving smile on her face. "Hmm... not bad, boy toy." She reached behind her back and pulled out a scroll. "This is what we'll be delivering to the village leader. We'll pick up the gift on the way. Let's go!" She popped some dango into her mouth and began walking, Bruce and Naruto following in stride.

The day wore on, the sun light being filtered with the leaves on the trees. Birds nested and fed their young, squirrels jumped from to tree and the wind lightly blew past, giving off a nice breeze. No one could enjoy any of that however, as Naruto was talking his butt off.

"-And then, an amazing thing happened! The Great and Almighty Naruto Uzumaki-sama tricked Zabuza into letting Kakashi-sensei go. Hehehe! Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah." Bruce was barely listening. His mind was instead focused on his kenjutsu training. He was contemplating why he couldn't get it right. There was something he was missing. His chakra control had become good enough that he was beginning to understand how to walk on water even but yet, channeling his chakra into a blade was still difficult.

"Then, Kakashi-sensei sent him flying into a tree with his water jutsu. He said the coolest thing, "Yes, your future is death". Heh! It was pretty awesome! Of course, it never would've happened if not for me."

"Geez, kid, aren't you merciful enough to give your mouth a break? It must suffer, after all, being attached to you." Anko said, quickly becoming irritated from having to hear him talk.

"Huh?!" Naruto stomped his foot and raised his fist angrily. "You want a piece of me?!"

"Huh?!" Anko turned her head slowly, her eyes shadowed by her hair, giving them a feral glare. "What'd you say, runt?"

"Nothing, ma'am. Forgive me, ma'am." Naruto was now bowing apologetically, his face scared senseless.

"Good boy." She smirked. Her eyes spied a blank space next to Naruto and she quickly realized that Bruce had kept walking, ignoring their entire interaction.

After catching up and leading once more, Anko led the group to a small town near a river. At the end of a stream, the water fell below as a waterfall. The group entered the the town, walking until they made it near a bar.

"Alrighty! Here we are!" Anko walked inside, the two shinobis following her. She stood in the middle of the bar, searching for someone. The bar itself was rather lively for the middle of the day, men drinking themselves into comas. People were arm-wrestling, shouting loudly and laughing merrily. There was a fat guy passed out on the floor.

"Damn!" Anko exclaimed. "He's not here yet. Stupid sonuva..." She sighed, shaking her head before turning around and walking outside the bar. Bruce and Naruto followed her out, none of the group noticing someone watching them from the counter.

Outside, Anko turned the group, her hands on her hips. "Looks like our deliverer isn't here yet with the package. So, we've got to wait for a bit. We'll back here in about thirty minutes or so, so go ahead and do whatever the hell you want. _I'm_ going to go find some dango! See ya!" She turned around and skipped away, humming happily.

"That woman creeps me out..." Naruto shuddered. His mood then became bright again. "Since we got some free time, I'm gonna go get some ramen! C'mon!" Naruto grabbed Bruce and led him off to find a ramen stand.

After the group had separated, a person walked out of the bar, looking both ways before deciding to go off and follow Naruto and Bruce.

* * *

Three men stood on a hill overlooking the town Bruce, Naruto and Anko were in. A breeze picked up, blowing their coats coolly.

"Seems like they got our bait."

"Yeah. It'll be a matter of time now. When is..." Munch, munch. "...the contact supposed to be here?"

"She'll be there soon. And why the hell are you eating?"

"I can't focus if I'm hungry. I need food! Pork, chicken, fish, rice, pie, cake... what were we talking about?"

The other man sighed.

"Quiet, both of you." The third man said. "Yoshi is in the town now, keeping an eye on the two genin. I'm going to leave the package up to you, Higaki."

"Gotcha." He ran off the hill and into the forests.

"Oh, oh, what about me?" The man who was eating asked.

"Keep an eye on the jonin. She may seem carefree but she's dangerous. Stay on your toes."

"Yessir! Oooh, I can get some dango while I'm in town! Yipee, yipeee! Dango~! Dango~!" He happily jumped off, leaving the third man on the hill alone.

"Yes, I can feel it..." He said to himself. A butterfly flew in front of him. "I can feel the blood that will soon spill..." He held his finger out and the butterfly landed on it. "Soon... soon..."

* * *

"Another bowl of miso ramen!" Naruto was eating his third bowl of ramen, downing it like a vacuum cleaner. Bruce sat to the left of him, sipping a glass of water. With noodles hanging out of his mouth, Naruto turned to Bruce. "Vou sure vou not gomma eat amythimg?"

Bruce cast a sideways glance at the rather appetite killing sight of Naruto eating. "I'm good."

Naruto shrugged and happily continued swallowing his noodles. Bruce felt something was off. A feeling of danger, of wariness that he had honed through his nights in Gotham. He turned his head slightly, looking behind him. A man was leaning against the wall, somewhat suspiciously. He wore a sleeveless jacket with a hood over his head, so his face couldn't be seen. He wore a sleeveless shirt, beige pants and sandals. Bruce turned back around.

"Naruto..." He caught his attention in a whisper.

"Hmm?"

"We're being watched."

"Wha-?"

"Keep it down." Bruce ordered crossly. "Continue to eat, as if nothing is happening. We'll lead him on and then question him when the opportunity shows itself."

Naruto nodded, eating his ramen a little slower than before. He paid for his meal and they both got up and began walking. As expected, the man began walking after them. Bruce and Naruto kept to the street, passing by people and looking generally casual. A crowd of people began to block the man's view of his targets and when the crowd passed, the two ninjas were out of sight. The man sighed before turning and walking down an alleyway. Then, everything went black.

The man known as Yoshi woke up, tied upside to a tree. His hood wasn't on him, letting his face be seen. He had a scarred face, the most distinguished ones being one that run over his eye, which seemed blind, and another that intersected with it across his face, under his eye. He was bald and there were three piercings on his right eyebrow.

" **Welcome back to the land of the living. For now."** He turned his attention to a figure standing over him. He looked like a giant bat. The man cried out in pain as sensation came back to him, quickly realizing that both his arms were broken at the elbow.

"Y-you bastard! What have you done to me?!"

Batman kicked him in the face. **"I'll ask the questions. You've been following me and the boy. Tell me why or else."**

Despite being somewhat nervous and with sweat running down his brow, Yoshi put on a tough grin. "Heh, you think you're scary? You think I fear you?"

" **If you don't... you will."** The way Batman said it was frigid and void that it made Yoshi shiver. **"If you're okay with me breaking your legs then I'll do that next."**

"Tch, fine... the name of the man who sent me is Marko. You happy?"

Batman kicked him in the face again. **"If you lie to me again, I'll know. Who sent you and why?"**

"Her name... is Saya... Sh was interested in-" Batman grabbed his ankle and twisted it. "AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Batman knelt down, bringing his masked face close to Yoshi's. His soulless, demonic red eyes served their purpose, making Yoshi somewhat scared. **"I don't have time for games. This isn't a genjutsu. If you don't give me the information I need... I'll impale you, leave you here to painfully bleed to death and be forgotten like an old dog. Last chance."**

The man panted, blood flowing from his mouth. His jaw hurt like a bastard and he could feel his blood trickling down his face. "Forgive me... Dan-"

A kunai was thrown at Batman but he dodged it. He looked in the trees to see another ninja standing in the trees. He wore black pants, a black gi with fingerless gauntlets. He wore standard sandals and on his hip was a katana. He had brown hair that was worn in a ponytail and a confident smirk on his face. Yoshi looked up, apparently relieved to see him.

"Ken-san!"

"Oi, oi, what the hell are you doing to my friend here?"

Batman didn't answer. "If ya ain't gonna answer then how bout letting him go so we can settle this one-on-one like men?"

Batman unsheathed his blade and put the tip to Yoshi's neck. **"Who sent this man?"**

Ken's face became serious. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Now..." Smoke erupted from a ball that was attached to the kunai that was thrown behind Batman, the bomb releasing plumes of smoke into the air. "I'll be taking my friend back."

Turning on his thermal vision, Batman turned to his right to see Ken cut Yoshi free. Pulling out his own sword, Batman struck at Ken who blocked the strike. As the smoke cleared, it revealed the two were at a standstill with Yoshi behind Ken.

"Ken-san!" Yoshi exclaimed.

"Yoshi, can you run?"

"No, I'm sorry... my-my leg is..."

"Alright then, I've got no choice." Ken pushed Batman back, taking one hand off his sword and reaching behind his back. Batman narrowed his eyes and prepared for an attack, when instead, Ken threw Yoshi a pill.

"Take this. My last food pill. It should dull the pain enough for you to get outta here. I'll hold this freak off while you do it."

"I'm sorry for troubling you..."

"Just shut up and take it, stupid."

" **I don't know what you plan on doing..."** Batman pulled out some shurikens from his belt. **"But I'm not finished with you yet."** He threw them at high speeds but Ken managed to deflect every last one with them with his sword. Yoshi had ingested the food pill and then his chakra spiked.

"Now get out of here!"

Yoshi jumped away, leaving Ken and Batman alone in the forest. Batman switched his sword to his left before reaching behind him and grabbing his other one. **"It seems that if I want to get to him, I'll have to cut you down first."**

Ken smirked cockily. "Looks like it."

Batman pulled his other blade, holding two in each hand. The two rushed other, sparks flying from the cold steel crossing and hitting each other.

* * *

Naruto ran through the town, looking for Anko. "Damn it, where is that snake-lady, anyway?" He wondered to himself, his mind traveling back to when Bruce knocked out the man who was trailing them.

" _Naruto, go find that woman, Anko."_

" _Huh? Why?"_

" _This man didn't come alone. If he was trailing us then there may be someone trailing her too. And I have a bad feeling that she may need some back-up."_

" _Hmmm... well, she's pretty strong on her own. Besides, won't you need my help with this guy? What're you gonna do with him, anyway?"_

 _Bruce hoisted the man's body over his shoulder. "I'm going to find out who he is and why he was trailing us."_

" _You're not gonna kill him, are you?!"_

" _No. I'll just make it seem that way. Now go!"_

"Wonder what he meant by that..." To his right, Naruto spied a mountain of dust kick out from among the trees. He jumped from the town into the forest, moving through the branches until he came upon Anko. She was on a large snake, a kunai in her hand and she was facing a man on a tree. He was very big and rotund, his stomach sticking out of his orange shirt. He wore blue pants with sandals and possessed a huge orange beard with a singular orange strand sticking out of his otherwise bald head. The man wore sunglasses and had a chicken leg in his hand.

"Snake-lady!" Naruto cried out, pulling a kunai out.

"Loudmouth, where's Komori?" She asked without turning around.

"He's captured one of them who was following us. He's with him now, I think." Naruto glared at the man in the trees. "I'm here to help!"

"Don't need it, kid! You'll just get in the way!"

The man did some handsigns with just one hand before slamming his palm on the branch. A poof of smoke followed and what came out was a giant boar with huge tusks.

"No, methinks you're gonna need all the help you can get!"


	8. Chapter 8: Overwhelmed

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto formed six clones, each attached to the tree he was on. Anko and Naruto stared off at the rotund ninja they were facing.

"Ho ho! Shadow clones? You must be quite skilled. Well then..." With one hand, he summoned eight clones and sent them flying down towards the two, four going for Anko and the other four going for Naruto. Naruto formed his clones in a three pairs, each forming their own Rasengan. The fat ninja's face became slightly more serious while Anko began weaving signs.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" The enemies clones blew a strong wind, strong enough to uproot a few dead trees and the attack was strong enough to blow away Naruto's clones and the main Naruto in a tree.

"Ninja Art: Deadly Poison Fog!" Anko blew out a huge plume of smoke at the man body but the giant purple pig inhaled it. The enemy grinned cheekily as the pig began to blow it right back at them. Widening her eyes, Anko directed her snake away from it.

"Naruto, move it!"

"Huh?" Naruto turned his attention to the a giant fog heading his way. "Woah!" He jumped away from the fat ninja's clones, moving through the trees as he and Anko narrowly escaped its range.

"Damn..." Anko raised her head up at the man. "Who the hell are you?"

The fat ninja took a bite of a cupcake he had gotten from his pouch. "Me? My name is Hokam-sama. And this is Sonya-chan. A special piggy that is immune to all poison and exudes it from herself as a plus. Get them, Sonya-chan!" The giant bug began stomping about, shaking the earth beneath their feet. Hokam's clones weaved signs extremely fast.

"Earth Style: Great Pillar!" Huge pillars of earth began popping out of the ground, one of them managing to hit Anko's summon and dispel it. She recovered on a tree, pulling out a kunai. Naruto clicked his teeth.

"This guy's tough... Guess there's no choice..." He bit his thumb before weaving hand signs and then slamming his palm on a branch. "Summoning Jutsu!" A huge plume of smoke was seen and out of it came a giant red toad. The toad was coloured a dull, rusty red, but around his eyes and on his lips and chest were brighter red markings. Over his left eye, was a scar and his tongue had a series of stud-like piercings on both the upper and lower side. He wore a large blue happi vest that had the kanji for shrimp on the back and carried a massive dosu blade at his hip. In his mouth was a kiseru pipe.

"Wha-? Aw, no. You again?!" Came its incredibly loud and gruff voice.

"Hey, Chief Gamabunta! It's been awhile!" Naruto greeted cheerfully.

"Why the hell did you call me in the middle of sake time?!" He shouted angrily.

"Chief, I need some help." Naruto pointed to the enemy, who was nonchalantly eating on top of the pig. "This guy's pretty tough and we need to take him down."

Bunta blew the smoke from his pipe. "Tch, why should I do something like that? I could just go home and drink my sake instead."

"Aw, Chief, don't be like that..."

Hokam watched from atop his pig, drooling at the sight of the toad. "WOAH! HE'S HUGE! I BET HE TASTES GOOD FRIED!"

That statement was loud enough for Bunta to take notice as he took his attention away from Naruto and turned to Hokam, glaring at him rather intensely. "Hey, chubby... what did you say just now?"

Hokam took a bite from his chicken leg. "You might be more tasty dipped in oil... though, being a frog, you're probably oily already. Hoo-hoo-ha-ha-hah!"

Bunta blew out another cloud of smoke before slowly reaching for his blade, his killer intent raging through the air. "I'm going to make mincemeat out of you, chubby!"

Hokam didn't take the threat seriously, opting instead to bring his head back and with a rather dreamy expression, drooled again. "Mmmm... meat." He took another bite of his chicken.

Down in the forest below, Anko performed another summoning and out of the smoke came another snake, this time bigger and white with black markings. The snake brought its head up to full height, bringing her leveled with Naruto.

"Take this!" Bunta jumped up high in the air, his tanto drawn. As soon as he jumped, Anko had her own summon slither through the forest, destroying the trees below. It opened its fangs to bite as Bunta came falling down with his blade pointed at the pig.

Hokam, however, was rather lax. "Hmm... This isn't too good. Sonya, stomp for me, baby!"

The pig snorted before stomping its feet hard enough to upheave the ground from beneath the snake and launch it into the air and over Sonya herself.

"Oh, damn, Chief!" Bunta came down on the snake, stabbing it right in the head and forcing Anko to jump off just before the blade hit.

"Damn you, brat! That crap almost hit me!" Anko free falled from the snake when Hokam decided to capitalize on this opening by throwing a bone at her. He threw it extremely fast, the object hitting smack-dab in her gut and powerful enough to send her flying through a tree and back first into another, her body falling from the trunk to a branch.

"Damn it!" Naruto turned his head to Sonya curling herself into a ball. She jumped and began rotating at high speeds, aiming herself at Bunta. "Watch out, Chief!"

He couldn't dodge it in time as Sonya sent Gamabunta flying, knocking Naruto off and leaving him falling from the sky. Attempting to save himself, Naruto began to summon clones when Hokam once again threw a bone at him, this one hitting his forehead and knocking his headband into the air. Naruto fell back into the forest, his body crashing through branches before landing on the forest floor, a crack heard from his midsection.

"Ooh..." Bunta was winded before finally disappearing in smoke with Sonya following his lead and doing the same. Hokam landed on a branch, laughing heartily to himself.

"Hoo-hoo-hoo-ha-ha-ha-hah!" He then jumped down to the ground, giving the floor a slight tremor. "You guys just aren't tasty, ya know? You're disgusting! I feel like I'm eating ramen or something. Blechh!"

Face down on the floor, Naruto's hand twitched. From the bushes, Anko, without her coat and with a few scrapes and bruises, jumped out with a bo staff in her hands. Hokam turned to her, downing a few sweets. "Ho, you're still alive, eh?"

Anko spit out blood before wiping her chin. "If you thought you kill Anko Mitarashi with a third-rate attack like that, that plaque build-up's hitting your brain too."

"You're pretty quippy."

"I'm good at kicking ass too." She ran forward, readying her bo. Hokam plopped a chicken leg that he plucked from his pockets into his mouth before stomping his feet in the ground, similar to a sumo stance and clapping his hands together. His chakra began to build up and his singular strand of hair began flowing like a flag.

"Earth Style: Rock Body!"

Anko struck Hokam's head but her bo broke like a twig, eliciting a surprised reaction from her. "Earth Style: Rock Fist!" Hokam struck Anko, who disappeared in a poof smoke. "Shadow Clone..." He turned around to see Anko sitting on a tree, her bo staff resting on her shoulder.

"That's some interesting jutsu you've got there, big guy."

"My jutsu allows me to make body as a hard as rock, making me impenetrable to any blunt attacks. Sorry, Mitarashi-chan. You won't be hurting me."

Anko smirked sadistically. "The more they resist, the more satisfying it is when you break them." She weaved hand signs quickly before making a circle around her mouth. "Ninja Art: Acidic Breath!" She spit out a large river of purple acid from her mouth, sending it down at him.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" Hokam released a large pillar of rock, letting it shield him from the acid. Behind him, Anko came out and began to strike. She came down with the bo staff but Hokam grabbed it. "Useless... Wind Style: Aerial Palm!" Concentrating Wind chakra into his hand, he forcefully planted his palm into her stomach, shredding it slightly and sending her flying back-first into a tree. She slumped to the ground, disorientated.

"D-damn..."

"I really didn't want to kill you. My orders were just to track but you've seen me so, oh well." Hokam slammed his feet sumo-style before raising his palm. "Nothing personal, Mitarashi-chan."

"Oi, you fat bastard!"

"Hm?" Hokam turned his head to see Naruto struggling to get up. "Oh, you're still alive?"

"Take back... what you said..."

"What're you taking about?"

"What you said... about ramen... take it back...!" Naruto propped himself on his arms, his head down but his hair becoming increasingly spiky. Hokam could feel a rather dark aura preceding the air.

"Why should I?"

Naruto could feel **his** chakra flowing through his veins, he could feel the heat overwhelm his senses. He felt his own emotions magnified – his anger, his hatred. Naruto's teeth became fangs, his whiskers becoming wilder. Red chakra began circling around him as he slowly stood up on his feet. "Ramen... is..."

Hokam turned away from Anko, facing the boy with a more serious look. _"The Nine-tails chakra... Our intel was right. This is the jinchuriki."_

The feeling of malevolence became more pronounced as Naruto's voice became darker and rougher. **"Ramen is..."** Naruto's fingers became sharper, his coat, now unzipped, starting flowing dramatically. Naruto took up a sort of feral, animalistic stance with his knees bent and his arms crossed in front of him. Naruto finally raised his head, his eyes now a blood red with slits as irises.

" **Ramen... IS LIFE!"**

* * *

Ken and Batman were standing a few feet away from each other, panting slightly. They had been clashing and nicking each other for the past few minutes, neither overpowering the other. Ken smirked, swiping his sword a few times and cutting the air.

"Heh, you're not bad. If it wasn't for that costume and Konoha symbol, I'd think you were a samurai. But I can tell, you're not trying to kill me, are you? You hide it well, but when two skilled swordsman cross blades, they can feel each other's intent."

Batman didn't respond.

"Don't tell me... are you one of those self-righteous pricks who only kill when ordered?"

Batman ran forward, coming down on Ken with his dual blades who blocked with his own. **"You talk too much."**

"You talk too little." Ken retorted. He flipped back, kicking Batman in the chin before landing his feet on a tree trunk. Batman quickly recovered as Ken pushed off the tree, launching himself towards his opponent. Batman crouched under his slash and gave Ken two cuts on his thighs. They were, of course, not fatal.

Ken landed, sucking his teeth. "Damn, that hurt..." He turned around, taking up a stance and holding his sword with both hands. Ken jumped forward but Batman sidestepped and Ken cut a rock instead.

" _ **I'm getting deja vu..."**_

Batman held one of the swords in his mouth before using his free hand to pull out some explosive kunai. Batman threw them, forcing Ken to flip back into the trees. Ken raised his head to see Batman had disappeared.

"This guy's pretty quick..." From the shadows, Batman threw shuriken at the man and as they flew, began weaving hand signs.

" _ **Ox... Dog... Dragon... Rat... Dog... Boar... Snake... Tiger... Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**_ The few shuriken multiplied to a dozen, flying down at Ken speedily. Ken was unfazed and simply blocked them with his sword but the last one, instead of coming into contact with Ken's sword, transformed into Batman and with pristine accuracy, brought his swords down at Ken. He blocked it before stepping back, bracing himself and kicking Batman in the chest. The attack was blocked by Batman's shin, but it was strong enough to send him flying back. Batman recovered by planting his feet on a tree, releasing chakra which allowed him to stick to it.

"Enough games, pallie. I'm all warmed up now. Let's get serious." Ken took up a stance, holding the dull side of his blade. He began channeling chakra into his sword, giving it a light blue hue. Ken grinned maliciously. "Let's party."

Ken jumped forward, faster than before and cut straight through Batman's body armor, giving him a shallow cut near the collarbone. Ken then spun and cut Batman's side before coming down and cutting his thigh. Batman, while not being able to see it, reacted merely on instinct, barely avoiding getting killed, stepping back far enough to avoid deep and lethal cuts.

Jumping back, Batman held up his swords and focused. He shut his eyes and painfully tried to channel chakra into his swords. It was too big and Batman was unable to focus, due to the pain of using so much chakra. Ken was suddenly before him and with the butt of his sword, struck Batman in the head and sent him flipping backwards into a tree. Batman fell off it and landed on his back on the forest floor. With his foot on his chest, Ken pointed the tip of his sword at his fallen foe.

"Huh. I guess you weren't as good as I thought. Oh, well." Ken raised his sword, his face becoming more fierce and enraged. "This is for Yoshi, you bastard."

* * *

Naruto, with Nine-tails chakra pouring through his veins, launched himself at Hokam. "Earth Style: Rock Fist!" Naruto and Hokam's fists collided, sending a slight rift in the air. Naruto was knocked back while Hokam skidded back slightly. Naruto recovered with a flip and his feet stuck to a tree. He pushed off it into the air and made a hand sign.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Dozens of clones appeared in poofs of smoke.

"Quite a few clones..." Hokam clapped his hands together. "Wind Style: Wild Hurricane!" Gusts of wind moving at high speeds rapidly spun around the area, dispersing Naruto's clones. Before they disappeared, three of them managed to throw a few kunai knives at Hokam, who deflected them with the bone in his hand and let a few more land behind him. Hokam turned his head to the sound of fizzing and saw explosive tags attached to the handles. They exploded, releasing black smoke. From this smoke, Hokam had jumped upwards, relatively unharmed when Naruto came falling from above, bringing his fist to hammer on Hokam's head. Hokam fell back to earth, landing with a crash. Naruto landed as well, before summoning up another clone. He held out his hand and his clone began forming a huge ball of chakra.

"How 'bout this one!" Naruto charged Hokam, who began standing up from the pile of rubble. He glanced up to see Naruto racing towards him with a ball of violently rotating chakra. Naruto thrust his arm out. "Take this! Rasengan!"

What happened next shocked Naruto to his very core. Hokam neither averted the strike nor dodged it. He raised his hand and grabbed the ball of chakra, letting the attack shred the palm of his hand. However, that was _all_ it did. The attack didn't affect his wrist, arm and after the attack dissipated, Hokam seemed no worse for the wear.

"Wha... how?"

"Sorry, kid. You just ain't tasty enough to be in the kitchen with me." Hokam gave Naruto a strong uppercut to the stomach and the strike was powerful enough send him flying back, coughing up streams of blood.

Squirming on the ground in pain, Naruto's Nine-tails chakra faded. "D-damn it...! My stomach feels like it's about to explode...!" Naruto managed to glance up to see Hokam walking towards him, a small whirlwind circling around his fist.

"Time to end this. I'm all out of food."

* * *

"Die, you bastard." Ken brought down his sword to kill Batman, when, all of a sudden, he blocked it with his sword. That's what not surprised Ken. What surprised him was that he didn't cut through it. The reason was because Batman's sword had a thin steady wave of chakra around the blade. It was black, outlined by white.

Ken smiled, his interest peaked. "Hm? You holding something back?"

Batman couldn't hold the flow, as the strike to the head Ken gave him was making him disorientated and made it difficult to focus. The flow of chakra stopped and his blade returned to normal, leaving Ken somewhat disappointed.

Before Ken and Hokam could finish off their respective enemies, a telepathic link was made in their minds.

" _Hokam, Ken, stop."_

"Q?" Ken stayed his blade.

"That you, Q?" Hokam asked aloud, confusing Naruto who saw no one else there.

" _Leader doesn't want you to kill them yet. We've drawn enough attention to ourselves. Killing them will draw far too much attention from Root and the Akatsuki. We need to abide our time. Withdraw for now."_

" _Damn... I guess we've got no choice."_ Ken glanced down at Batman, before sheathing his sword. "Next time." He jumped away, leaving Batman barely conscious.

Hokam scratched his stomach, before turning around and walking away. Naruto, with blood trailing down his chin, yelled after Hokam.

"Hey...! Hey, you! We're... we're not done yet!"

Hokam kept walking. "I'm done. I'm going home to eat." He disappeared behind the trees.

"D-damn it..." Naruto couldn't keep himself from passing out, his world fading to black.


	9. Chapter 9: Gateway to the Soul

Anko groggily woke up to see Naruto and Bruce, with his mask off and few cuts on his cheek, standing on either side of her bed. She was in the inn and it was late at night. Her side was hurting and her throat felt sore. Bruce handed her a cup of water.

"What... happened?" She asked with a raspy voice.

"That fat-ninja-ramen-hater guy got away." Naruto replied, his voice having an annoyed undertone.

"His comrade, a swordsman named Ken, was able to retrieve the man who was trailing us before I could out who he was." Bruce informed.

Anko laid her head back, staring up at the ceiling. Her hand slowly went to her bruised rib, cringing when she pressed on it. "That fatso was strong... not stealthy or subtle by any means... but was a hard hitter for sure. I've never seen him before... but he knew about me. This mission isn't C-rank. There's something more here..." She slowly propped herself up on her elbows. "We need to go back to the village and-"

"No." Naruto said interrupted her. Anko turned to him, confused.

"C'mon, kid. Get real. You saw how powerful he was. We weren't prepared for this type of mission. We don't have the proper-"

"It doesn't matter! I don't wanna back down. I want to complete what we started."

Anko exhaled in annoyance, grabbing the bridge of her nose. "Look, kid-"

"He's right." Bruce cut in forcefully.

"Aw, you too?!"

"We took this mission, ready to accept any risks. We'll finish this, no matter what presents itself."

"Yeah, what he said!" Naruto soundly agreed.

Anko sighed, shaking her head. "You two... are idiots... Urgh!" She got up, stumbling slightly before regaining her footing and composing herself. "Fine! I'll send Hokage-sama a notification. We're going to require at least a few extra people, just in case we run into someone like that again. We also need to alert the village that we may have a new unknown enemy." Anko walked out of the room with a huff, left the two.

Bruce glanced at Naruto. He noted that the boy's injuries had healed up just fine, as if all the bruises and cuts he had yesterday were never there. _"A healing factor?"_

Naruto made a motion to leave. "I'll be right back." He said. "I have to go to get something."

Bruce left the room as well, rotating his sore shoulder and pondering on things. Just before that man had cut him, Bruce managed to block the sword with the chakra in its perfect flow. In that moment, his arm went numb and he felt no pain. Then, it dissipated. What was he missing, he wondered. Deciding that he needed to soak his muscles, as they were very sore from constant days of training, he went off to a bathhouse in the upper part of town. Walking in, he payed for a private bath and went into the changing room. Removing his suit, Bruce grabbed a white towel and a robe before he walked inside, stepping in to the warm waters. Bruce folded his towel and robe on the side and sat in the bath, laying his head back. He sighed, contemplating further on his issue.

* * *

Naruto jumped from tree to tree, moving through the leaves that fell. His mouth was quiet while his mind was loud. _"Even after two years of training... I couldn't do a damn thing to that guy... Rasengan didn't even faze him... Damn..."_

Naruto stopped on a branch overlooking the area below. He saw his headband sitting atop some rubble. Naruto jumped down, picking it up in his hand. He stared at solemnly for a few moments, before squeezing it in his hand with a determined aura about him.

" _I still need to get stronger... I can't save anyone the way I am now."_

Naruto tied the headband around his forehead. After securing it, he turned and jumped off.

* * *

Bruce was sitting in the bath with his head back and eyes closed, letting his muscles ease from their tension when the door opened behind him. He didn't need to turn to realize who it was.

"Aahh, bath time!" Anko walked in, threw her towel and robe on the floor, before stepping in slowly, big toe first. "Oooh, that feels sooo good."

She sat down beside Bruce while the man himself had no reaction other than to ask, "What are you doing here? This is called private for a reason."

She turned her head, a somewhat wild grin on her face. "Well, I didn't feel like sharing a bath with a bunch of other women so I told the guy up front that I wanted the only private bath here. It only took a bit of persuading to get him to agree."

"You drugged him, didn't you?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "He'll wake up with most of his brain functioning." She put her hands behind her head, crossed her legs, laid back and relaxed properly. "We fought some fat prick who ate as if heart attack was the goal. Who did you fight?"

"A swordsman."

"Uh huh. From the quiet tone in your voice, you didn't win."

"No. I wasn't good enough. I couldn't channel chakra into my blade properly."

"Oh, I get the picture. You're learning how to use chakra with your weapons, eh? Here's a tip, boy toy," She reached into her mouth and pulled out a kunai, the weapon dripping with saliva. Bruce didn't bat an eye. He had seen stranger things. Anko held the kunai in her hand and stood up. She walked over to the center of the bath and stepped onto the water. Standing on it, she closed her eyes and concentrated. The next moment, a blue chakra overtook her weapon, thin and long. "When ya do this, you gotta keep your mind clear, focused on only one thing: the stream. You have to think of your chakra like a stream and the blade a canal. Do that and your weapon becomes just another tool in the game of kicking ass."

Bruce stared at her for a few moments, before a small smile graced his face. Anko, naturally, was surprised. "Huh? So, you can smile... For a stone cold bastard, it suits you quite nicely."

Bruce stood up and grabbed his towel. He stepped out of the water and wrapped it around himself before heading to the door. Just before he left, he turned his head and almost quietly said, "Thanks."

He left the purple haired sadist alone. She smirked. "Heh, maybe there's hope yet." She put her hands around her mouth. "You have a nice ass, by the way!" She then let herself sink into the water, laying back and humming to herself. "Ah... now, if I had some dango, this would be perfect."

* * *

After everyone was ready and kitted up, they made their way back to the bar. Anko looked around before spying a brown haired girl in a bar. "There she is!" She ran over to her, sitting on the stool beside her. After a few minutes of talking, the girl and Anko walked back over to them. The girl was rather petite, with a slim figure and long brown hair. Her hair was in a ponytail and fell down to the small of her back while her bangs framed her face. She had deep black eyes, fair skin and rosy pink lips. She wore a purple kimono with a flowery theme and a purple headband.

"This is our messenger. Her name's Asami. She will be giving the package to the village leader herself so we'll be escorting her there."

Asami bowed politely. "Thank you for your troubles."

"Now, our back-up will meet us at the village, as coming here is kinda out of the way. So, the sooner we get there, the better it is for all of us. So let's go."'

"Alright!" Naruto pumped his fist. "Let's do this!"

The group walked on the trail with Anko in the back, Bruce in the front and Naruto standing beside Asami. Naruto wasn't talking his head off this time, as he seemed more deep in thought. Anko happily embraced the silence while Bruce took notice of it but chose not to say anything. Asami turned to her right to see the blonde shinobi's head down.

"Is something wrong, Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto's head rose upon hearing his name. "Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine."

She smiled at him sweetly. "Everything will be okay. Whatever it is you seek, you will achieve it."

Naruto was somewhat surprised by this statement. "You knew what I was thinking?"

"Your eyes had the glow of someone who wanted to improve himself, to dedicate yourself to some goal. Your glow is dim, indicting you're sad about something. Perhaps, you think yourself inadequate but from your eyes, I see your drive and determination. Whatever it is, it seems like you will find your answer so please do not despair."

"W-woah... How did you know all of that?"

"They say the eyes are the gateway to the soul within. I simply peeked inside." She tucked her hair behind her ear, still smiling. "I hope you didn't mind."

Naruto's cheeks became a light pink. "N-no, that's fine. Thank you, Asami-san."

She nodded friendly-like when the two were interrupted by an explosion heard a few meters ahead. Bruce and the group hid behind the trees, Naruto protecting Asami. Anko stealthily walked to the front, hiding behind the trees and watching the scene ahead. There were three men who had robbed a carriage and were standing over an old man and a young boy. The lead man, a brown haired, tall man with a malicious smirk held the sword to the man's throat.

"Alright, now fork over the goods. I don't want to kill a kid but if I have to..."

Anko pulled out a kunai and readied herself to spring forward. "Alright..." She began in a whisper. "I'll take these bastards out. You guys stay-"

Batman, now with his cowl on, jumped forward and kicked one of them in their face. The lead man turned around. "The hell?!" He tried to strike him down, but Batman blocked it with his gauntlet and kicked him in the stomach, stunning him briefly. The other man ran up with a kunai and tried to stab Batman but he blocked it with his sword before stomping on the man's foot, headbutting him on the nose and then knocking him out with a punch. The lead man tried to cut him again, but Batman blocked it with his own sword.

"Tch, who are you?!"

Batman glared at him, reaching for his other sword. **"I'm your worst nightmare."** Batman gave him a shallow cut across the stomach, forcing the man to step back.

"Damn you..." The man touched his stomach. "I'm gonna kill you!"

Batman let out a small breath as the man charged. Time seemed to slow down as Batman channeled his chakra into the swords, keeping his mind clear and minimizing his focus on the pain. He struggled to thin the flow of chakra, focusing his chakra into his sword like a stream into a canal and soon enough, the blade began exuding black chakra with a white outline. It was big at first but then, as Batman focused even further, he thinned it around the blade and it now wisped nicely off it.

" **Sword art: Black Saber."**

As the man came down the sword, Batman slashed. When the two crossed paths swordsman style, the man's sword shattered and two slashes were seen across his chest. The man convulsed before collapsing on the ground, his body shaking.

" **Don't worry, you'll live. Thanks to that woman, I've been studying the chakra network and its many points. I've just hit the central chakra points on your chest. Your body will be paralyzed for an hour and you'll feel numb but you'll survive."** The swords' black aura disappeared as Batman sheathed his sword. Anko and the group walked out out of the trees with Anko's hands on her hips.

"You satisfied now, boy toy?"

Bruce removed his cowl, nodding. After tying them up, he walked up to the old man with the lead man on his shoulder. "Take this man back to the town and have him committed. He and his comrades will be of no more trouble to you."

The old man bowed in gratitude. "Thank you kind, sir, for saving me and my boy!" Bruce nodded, putting the unconscious and paralyzed man in the carriage. The boy looked up at him with stars in his eyes, smiling. Bruce, unsure of what to do, gave a small awkward smile in return. The old man and boy rode off, the boy waving happily at Bruce who remained stoic as he watched them go.

"Alright then, now that you've got your balls back, let's continue on our way." Anko once again led the way, letting the group fall in step behind her.


	10. Chapter 10: Kindred Spirits

The group had been walking for half a day and soon enough, night time had taken over. Two tents were set up, with the boys being in one and the girls being in the other. Naruto was laying in the tent by himself as Bruce had opted to go train instead. Naruto, rousing from his sleep, turned to his side to see Bruce still wasn't there. Yawning, Naruto got up and went to a tree to take a piss. From the bushes, he saw Asami exit her tent and walk through the forest.

"Huh? Where is she going..." He followed her, keeping his distance as she moved through the foliage. She eventually came upon a small lake that was shimmering in the moonlight. Walking up to it, she sat down and began humming a tune. Naruto stood in the bushes, watching her from behind a tree. Her voice was angelic, her melody very clear. A rabbit began hopping along towards her and in a kind motion, she softly petted it. Naruto stepped forward slightly but his foot snapped a twig and alerted Asami.

"Who's there?"

Naruto came out with his hands up, a cheesy smile on his face. "Sorry, sorry... I didn't mean to scare you."

Asami blushed a deep red. "Um... Naruto-san?"

"Hm?"

"Y-your... your pants are unzipped."

"Aw crap!" He exclaimed, spinning around with his cheeks crimson. "My bad, my bad!" He quickly tucked away Naruto Jr. before turning back around, his whiskered cheeks graced with a light pink. Asami giggled, covering her hand with her mouth. Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head before finally laughing as well. Naruto walked up and sat down beside her.

"So, what are you doing out here?" Naruto asked.

Asami looked back out at the lake, smiling softly to herself. "Whenever I come near this lake, I feel the need to come out and stare at the water. The way the wind blows, the reflection of the moon... the serenity of nature calms me and I just... I just feel at peace." Her hair began picking up in the wind.

Naruto gave a toothy grin. "I don't really understand but... heh, you're pretty cool!"

Asami blushed before smiling to herself. "Thank you, Naruto-san."

In the opposite direction, in the deep forest, Bruce stood holding his swords. They were covered in their black chakra. He was panting, his legs felt weak and his arms were tired. Around him however, were dozens of cut trees. Bruce ran forward and cut down another, the tree falling down with a loud thud. Bruce felt dizzy and his head was ready to explode. He brushed off his fatigue and channeled his chakra again.

" _I'm still not strong enough..."_ Bruce ran forward, spinning on his heel and cutting down two more trees. He panted, sweat dripping from his brow. He swiped his sword in the air, focusing his chakra even more intensely. _"Not yet! I'm not finished yet!"_

"You want to know about me?" Naruto asked Asami.

She nodded eagerly, smiling. "Yes, if you don't mind."

"Hmm..." Naruto scratched his chin. "I wasn't... Eh... well... My childhood... wasn't all that great. I... I didn't have any parents and... the fellow villagers resented me. Or rather, they resented what they thought I was. I was never able to make any friends and I really struggled in school. Everyday, I came home to an empty apartment... It was such a lonely existence..." Naruto's eyes gained a faraway look as he eyes fell on the water. "But... Iruka-sensei helped me when I was in trouble. He was like my dad. And then, I passed the test to becoming a ninja and gained more friends. Sakura-chan, Lee, Hinata, Neji, Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Ino, Tenten... Sasuke... Because of them, I got stronger and now... and now... I can get stronger still. I can obtain my dream of becoming the greatest Hokage of them all!" Naruto pounded his fist with a hearty grin. "I got where I am now because of my friends!"

"I see..." Asami had tears in her eyes but she was smiling warmly. She softly placed her hands on his, catching his attention. His eyes widened in surprise.

"A-are you... crying for me?"

"I wish... I wish I were born in your village. Then, you wouldn't have been so lonely. I think I would've liked being your friend."

Naruto smiled widely. "It's never too late to be friends. My name's Naruto Uzumaki! The man who'll someday become Hokage!"

Asami wiped the tears out of her eyes, a happy glow in them now. "Hehehe... My name is Asami Kurokawa. It's nice to make your acquaintance, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto chuckled happily until Asami leaned in and kissed him on his cheek, leaving him surprised and flustered. Before he could say anything, she softly placed her finger on his lips. "Rule number one: When a girl kisses you, it's best not to question it too much."

Naruto nodded rapidly, a blush still adorning his cheeks. Asami smiled, sticking her tongue out at him playfully.

* * *

The next day, the group had walked into the Village of the Moon. It was rather peaceful looking village, much smaller in size than Konoha. It was located in a large grassy plains, with walls surrounding it. Anko walked up to the guards, giving them their permits before they allowed the group through. Anko led the group forward until they made it to a large house in the center of the village. The group were stopped by the guards at the door.

"Halt. State your business."

"I am Anko Mitarashi of Konohagakure no Sato. I have business with your leader."

The guard shook his head. "Yagura-sama isn't here. He is currently dealing with urgent matters but will return tomorrow. Please wait until then."

Anko sighed, nodding. Turning back to the group, she put her hands on her hips. "Right then, I guess we'll have to do more waiting. Hopefully, no tubby bastards decide to show up and ruin our stay. For now, we'll all rest up at the inn."

Walking into the inn, Naruto's eyes were greeted to familiar faces. "Kurenai-sensei! Sakura-chan! Neji! Tenten!"

The four mentioned turned around. Neji walked up to them, bowing slightly. "Good to see you again, Naruto."

"Heh, heh. I guess we're teamed up for another mission, eh?"

"Seems that way. I heard you ran into some trouble."

"Yeah." Naruto scratched his ear. "Some fat dude who hates ramen. Guy pissed me off so much! If I see him again, I'll pummel him for sure, ya know!"

Neji gave a small smirk. "Heh. I'd expect no less. I can't have the man who defeated me in the Chunin Exams three years ago losing to some mediocre no-name ninja."

While the young ones talked amongst themselves, Bruce left the inn to train and Kurenai and Anko talked away from them.

* * *

"I'm surprised Tsunade-sama sent you, Kurenai. I thought you were away on another mission."

"I was. No rest for the wicked, as they say. Tsunade-sama also said that she would have some of Danzo's men look into the men who attacked you."

"Root, huh? Those emotionless robots who wouldn't know a good orgasm from a fake one."

Kurenai shook her head. "Same old Anko..."

"I do feel sorry for you though..." She suddenly said, casually placing her hands behind her head.

"What?"

"I mean, you just got back from a mission and couldn't even get some good lovin' from ol' mountain-beard Asuma."

"Anko!"

"Well, am I right or am I really right?"

Kurenai looked down somewhat sadly, grabbing her arm. "Actually, in truth, we haven't been... getting along lately... for some reason."

"Really? He's been cheating?"

"What? No! Nothing like that... I don't really know why. Things just seem... different. I can't... really explain it."

"Oh well... on the more bright side of things, I think I'm getting close to cracking the Ice King."

"You mean Komori-kun?"

"Yep! I gave him a good view of the old twins when we were in the bath, if you know what I mean." She grabbed her chest. "My boobs are what I mean."

"I know what you mean!" Kurenai replied, flustered. "That's... uh, good for you. I actually had a scroll for him. It contains a few notes for his genjutsu training."

"He's probably training outside of the village or something. Guy's obsessed. Not turn-you-on obsessed but needs-serious-help type obsessed with his training. Not even sure giving him a scroll that will have more things to train in will help that. But remember something very important Kurenai..."

"What's that?"

She pointed at the red-haired beauty accusingly. "I'm not sharing him! So, if you two go at it roughly in the forest, I'll never forgive you! I mean it, our friendship will be done!"

Kurenai choked on her own words, the sounds coming out of her throat being stutters and stammers. She shook her head and turned around, deciding that she was worn down and left the inn. Anko sighed to herself.

"Now... where to find some dango?"

* * *

Back with Naruto and his friends, Naruto was introducing Asami to them. "This is Asami Kurokawa. We're protecting her until she can meet with the village leader."

"Nice to meet you all." She bowed politely.

Sakura regarded her somewhat indifferently, crossing her arms. _"Hmph... Look at Naruto! That idiot's staring at her all starry eyed like some lovesick puppy... It's disgusting!"_

"Sakura-chan?"

"Hm?" Her chain of thought broken, she looked up in attention.

"Are you okay? You've been staring at Asami kinda weird-like for awhile."

"Uh, no, no, I'm fine. Pleased to meet you Asami-san." She bowed politely. "I'm going to go for a walk for a bit. I'll be back later, alright, Naruto?"

"Huh? Okay..." He replied, confused.

She rushed out the door, leaving the inn behind. Asami bowed once again to the group. "If you'll excuse me, I feel the need for a walk as well."

"I'll come with you! If you, ya know, you don't mind and all..." Naruto scratched his pink cheek.

Asami giggled. "Sure. Please, come."

Asami and Naruto walked out the door, leaving Neji and Tenten to glance at each other knowingly. Walking outside the village, Asami and Naruto stopped on a hill. They laid back, watching the clouds pass by. A light flutter of wind blew, sending some grass floating in the air.

"Hey... Asami?"

"Hm?"

"What's... what's your story?"

"My story? You want to know about me?"

"It's okay if you don't wanna tell me..."

Asami closed her eyes and smiled. "I don't really remember too much about my childhood. My father died when I was very little... We lived in a small village but he was drafted to fight in a war. My mother died when I was six. Since then, I've been living in this village and I've made acquaintances with the leader. Still, even so, I hadfriends and I was treated like a stranger... I suppose the villagers don't take kindly to outsiders living amongst them. So, I guess you could say I know a little about loneliness too."

Naruto looked at her, his eyes slightly widened. _"This girl... she's like me. She doesn't have a family either... She was alone too..."_

Asami turned to him with a wide grin. "Even though it's been so hard... I'm happy to be alive!"

Naruto grinned back at her, nodding happily in agreement.

* * *

Kurenai found Bruce training outside the village, training in the plains. He was shirtless, swinging his swords with finesse. He had a black chakra aura around his swords as he spun around and cut the grass, the wind blowing it in the air. Bruce was sweating but had a focused look about him as he practiced slash after slash, swing after swing. He stopped upon noticing Kurenai looking at him.

"What are you doing out here?"

She reached into her pouch, handing him a scroll. "Here. These are some notes on genjutsu, to further your training."

He took it, nodding at her. "Alright. I'll get to this later." He unrolled the scroll, glancing over the notes before closing it. Kurenai observed the blades on Bruce's hip.

"You seem to be improving at a steady rate."

"Not steady enough."

Kurenai reached into her pouch and pulled out a kunai. "How about a spar then? Take our mind off things..."

Bruce raised his brow in interest. He put his scroll on the ground and pulled out a sword, channeling it with chakra.

Kurenai and Bruce took a stance before charging forward and clashing blades.

* * *

On top of a hill overlooking the village, a man stood on it. A woman walked up beside him, looking down at the village as well.

"The leader will return tomorrow." She said.

"Right on schedule then."

"Yes."

"The boy is here too."

"The nine tailes jinchuriki?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"The son of the Fourth Hokage."

"Yes. He is of precious lineage. He'll be in the intended line of fire as well."

"There is one new shinobi on the scene... Ryu Komori. A transfer from Sunagakure. He may prove troublesome in the future but for now, he is weak. Ken was nearly able to dispose of him until I stopped him."

"Uzumaki, according to Hokam, was not too powerful even with Nine-tails chakra flowing through his veins. He is of no consequence as of now. He will not get in the way of our justice."

"The Akatsuki don't know about his presence here so we can be confident enough to take care of things without too much interference. Although, the Leaf has called in for back-up."

"Who?"

"Two jonin and two chunin. They'll be no difficulty in dealing with."

"I see." He turned to her. "You seem tense, Q."

She shook her head. "No, I just wonder how the next few pages of our little story will play out. It fills my stomach with butterflies."

"I can predict the next few pages. They contain death, misery, betrayal... and justice."


	11. Chapter 11: Martyrdom

A.n.: Long chapter ahead. Hope you guys enjoy it. If you do, let me know what you think, what you like and dislike and also leave a fav and follow. Thanks!

* * *

" _Do you remember?"_

" _Remember what?"_

" _Do you remember the injustice felt at their hands?"_

" _Yes..."_

" _Then you understand your duty."_

" _But...!"_

" _No! You are a vessel of justice, nothing more, nothing less. Your role has already been decided and you will play it out."_

" _Understood... my master."_

* * *

Naruto's eyes fluttered open, his cerulean blue pupils sighting the sky upon waking. Naruto yawned as his half-awakened mind processed where he was. He was still in the grass field outside of the village.

"Huh... Must've felt asleep." His eyes widened as he remembered coming out here with his new friend. "Asami?" He looked about the field but saw she was no longer here. Naruto scratched his blond head in puzzlement. "Wonder where she went..." His stomach rumbled violently, interrupting his thoughts. "Damn, I'm hungry. Well, I'll go look for her after I get some ramen! Ramen, ramen~!"

Naruto ran back to the village, unaware of the two pair of eyes who watched him from afar. Inside the village, Naruto searched around for a ramen shack but so far was unlucky. He's come across barbecue restaurants, seafood shacks, and the like but no ramen whatsoever.

"Aw, come on... don't tell me they don't have ramen?! What else am I possibly going to eat?" Naruto's eye then caught sight of a familiar face. "Oh, hey Tenten!"

The bun-haired weapon mistress turned around to see Naruto jogging over to her. "Oh, Naruto. What're you doing?"

"Searching for a ramen shack. How about you?"

"I'm helping my father run errands." She brought forward a short old man. He was balding from the front of his head and his only visible hair was a light grey. His face was wrinkly and his eyes seemed near closed but he had a friendly air about him. He wore a simple brown kimono and sandals.

"Ah, this must be the young man you spoke of."

"Yes, Father."

Naruto crossed his arms with a dumb look on his face. "Oh, so this your father... Huh. To be honest, I really thought he'd be more cool looking."

Tenten kicked Naruto's shin, causing him to jump around in pain as he cradled it. "You idiot..."

Tenten's father laughed heartily. "Ho ho ho! You're quite an honest young man. I appreciate that. What is your name, young lad?"

Naruto pointed at himself with his thumb. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! The future Hokage of the Leaf!"

Tenten shook her head with a sigh. _"This idiot and his stupid dreams..."_

Tenten's father, however, smiled warmly. His eyes opened even further and a deep feeling of nostalgia washed over him. _"Hashirama-sama... this boy has inherited the Will you spoke of."_ "You're quite a confident young man. Outspoken and positive. Uzumaki-san, you have made an old man's day."

Naruto scratched the back of his head in a sheepish motion. "Hehe... what did you say your name was, old man?"

"My name is Isao Higurashi. I own a weapons shop in Konohagakure."

"Really? Are you famous?"

"Of course, dear boy! Our weapons were issued to our shinobi in every single Great War." Isao stated proudly.

"Woah, that's pretty cool. What kinda weapons do you guys sell?"

"Here," Isao reached into the pouch on his side and pulled out two shiny, silver brass knuckles. "I think someone like you would find use out of these."

Naruto took the brass knuckles and put them on. Forming fists, he threw a few punches to test them out. "Huh. Well, these seem pretty cool, though, to be honest, I doubt I'd ever really use them, ya know?" Naruto removed the knuckles and handed them back to Isao who shook his head.

"Those are yours. On the house."

"Father!" Tenten exclaimed, stunned. "Those are expensive."

"Are you sure, old man?" Naruto asked. "I don't wanna-"

"Don't worry about it." He insisted. "Consider it a gift for entertaining an old man."

"Heh, well, thanks!"

* * *

Kurenai sat on the grass in front of Bruce, who had his eyes closed and his hands enclosed in a seal. Bruce let out a breath out of his nostrils as Kurenai braced herself. Her sense of perception began to change and she found herself in a dark, grim forest. Kurenai stood on her feet and began walking around. She placed her hand on a tree, noting its texture and look.

"Good. It looks just like the real thing. You catch on tremendously fast. Keep going. Add more realism, more atmosphere to your illusion. Show me what you can do with it. Let your imagination run wild and use whatever comes to mind."

The leaves from the trees began to slowly fall on the ground as Kurenai ventured into the conjured forest. Scarecrows perched themselves on the branches above, crowing loudly. They had a certain bloodthirsty look in their eyes, Kurenai noted.

" _He even knows how to portray their need for blood... he's paying attention to even the most minuscule detail. He's got talent."_

The wind blew through her, giving her goosebumps on her skin. Her nose was overwhelmed with the scent of corpses, the familiar hint of death. The sky shifted from a bright blue to stark black and there was no light save the moon, shining down on the path she walked. The moon looked evil with the clouds flowing in front it to make a strange, sinister frown. Kurenai noted that bats hung from the branches, with blood red wings, red eyes and ear piercing screeches. Deciding that he had done good enough, Kurenai pressed her hands in the tiger seal. "Release!"

The scenario changed but instead of coming back to the real world, she was now on a tall platform. Below lie dead bodies, each face individually distinguishable. She crossed her arms as she examined the environment. The clouds were an ominous grey and covered the vast sky, mountains could be seen in the distance and she glanced up to see vultures swirling overhead.

"You've gotten the hang of secondary illusions... good." She bit her hand and her reality became the real one again with Bruce standing off in the distance.

He was breathing slightly harder than he was when they started. _"This damn pain... It still prevents me from achieving my full potential..."_

"You're improving beyond a steady rate; it's remarkable, for a lack of a better word."

"...Thanks." He finally replied, unsure of what else to say. He never did get used to his teachers complimenting him. He was always either the best student or one of them and yet, he was still uncomfortable receiving praise.

"Shall we return, then?"

"I'll go back later. I still have more training to do."

Kurenai sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "When was the last time you ate?"

"It doesn't matter."

"I can't allow my student to just starve to death."

"I'll go back later." He repeated with more emphasis.

Kurenai shook her head. "You're stubborn as a mule. Fine," She sat down in the grass, hugging her knees to her chest. "I'll stay out here until you decide to leave."

"Do what you want." Bruce put his hands together and began to practice his jutsu.

* * *

Sakura laid on the bed at her inn, her hands behind her head. She was unable to sleep, as her mind kept returning to the subject of her attention: Asami. She sighed, placing her hands on her stomach as she continued to stare at the ceiling.

" _Why is this bothering me anyway? She seems nice... Maybe it's something else. I mean, it's not like I hate her or anything. It's just... UGH! Why am I acting like I love him when I really don't? This is ridiculous! Such a stupid thought! What's to like about that dumbass anyway? He's loud and annoying and completely, hopelessly inept at ANY social venue..."_ Sakura groaned, throwing a pillow over head. _"Damn you, Naruto..."_

"URGH, that's IT!" She ripped the pillow in half and threw it at the wall. "I'm gonna give that idiot a piece of my mind!" She jumped off her bed and stormed out of the room, determined to find Naruto. She left the inn and began searching all around the village. The villagers kept clear of her, as she had a vein popping out of her forehead, giving her an intimidating look.

"Where is that stupid Naruto?" Sakura, having ventured throughout the village, decided to look beyond its walls. In the field outside the village, Naruto and Asami sat next to each other under a tree casually talking. Sakura looked up at them but she no longer felt fury. She saw Naruto's face – he was smiling, but it was very, _very_ different than how he usually smiled. It was less wide than usual but it had twice the luster and three times the sincerity. That's when it hit Sakura; right now, Naruto was happy. _Truly_ happy.

Sakura sighed, turning around and walking away, opting to leave him alone. As she walked back to the village, a man began walking towards her. He was tall, with rugged facial features. He had spiky, wild silver hair, with bangs coming down and coolly covering parts of his left eye. His skin was tan, with olive green eyes and a few light scars adorning his face. He was also quite lean, as it evidenced by his exposed midsection which also possessed a few scars. He wore a pitch black coat that was torn at the sleeves, black pants with a pouch on the back, black sandals with fingerless gloves on his hands with metal slabs on the back. He had a red sash tied around his waist and on his back was a giant sword that could be compared to a butcher knife.

"Excuse me..." His voice was a rumbling, deep tone that penetrated the ears nicely.

Sakura blushed quite noticeably, charmed by his overall look. "Y-yes?" She tucked her hair behind her head in a subconscious attempt to look cuter.

"I was sent by the village leader for you. He has returned early and was informed about your arrival. He desires an audience with you and the messenger."

After having gotten the whole group, Anko and Kurenai led them to the villager leader's house where they could finally complete the mission. The group walked through the halls of the house, which wasn't big and was actually quite simple on the inside. The walls and floor were brown and there was one floor but it was spacious enough for several rooms. The main room stood in front of them with a door that was bigger than the others and when opened, revealed a young, black haired man sitting behind a desk. His office was simple as well, with bookcases overloaded with books on virtually every subject a person could learn and besides a few chairs, the desk and a rug, those were the only things that occupied the office.

The young man looked up as his guests came into his office. He had smooth black hair with bangs that came down and framed his face. His eyes were an onyx color as well and he had a small goatee on his chin. He wore green robes and black sandals along with blue pants. "Welcome," He greeted with a polite smile. "You must be the Konoha shinobi who were sent to see me." The guards closed the door and left them alone. "My name is Lota Miyamono. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Kurenai and Anko bowed respectfully to them as the rest of the group waited outside the halls. The only other one in the room was Asami, who stood in the corner. "Miyamono-sama," Anko stepped forward. "We have come with a request from Tsunade-sama."

"Ah, the trade route request, right?"

"Yes."

"So, tell me, jounin of the Leaf, if I were to say no, what would happen?" Lota calmly placed his palm on his cheek and let his elbow support it on his desk. He was smiling softly. "Would you and your shinobi massacre my village and take the route by force?"

"We would never do that!" Kurenai exclaimed, stepping forward.

"I see..." Lota rose from his desk and walked around it, stepping in front of the women. "Are you sure of this?"

"Of cou-"

"No..." He leaned in close, and an usually off-putting look was in his eye. "Do you, in your heart, feel sure that your village, one that contains agents of assassination, would not simply replace me with someone they find favorable? If your answer is no, then my answer is yes. If your answer is yes, then I suppose, for the sake of my life, I'll still really have no choice, will I? So which is it?"

"Miyamono-sama," Anko interjected. "Before we continue this tense conversation, perhaps things would be eased if we were to offer you the gift now."

"Ah, buttering me up, eh? Alright then."

Asami walked forward, bowing respectfully. "It is good to see you again, Miyamono-sama."

Miyamono smiled down at her. "Ah, Asami-chan, it's been awhile. So, you'll be delivering the offering?"

She nodded.

"Hmph, these people have thought of everything. Alright then, let's have it."

Asami unrolled a scroll that she was hiding in the sleeve of her kimono and summoned, from the scroll, a cup of tea. Anko and Kurenai exchanged looks of confusion while Asami carefully rose up with the cup of tea in her hand.

"Here you are, Miyamono-sama. The world's rarest tea – Soft Lily tea from the West."

Miyamono's eyes widened to the size of plates. "I-impossible! The plant that this tea had to be made from is extinct now."

"All but one. The final one was used for making this for you in hope that you would peacefully decide to aid the village of the Leaf in their goal of maintaining their livelihood." She handed him the cup and with shaky, sweaty hands he took it.

Miyamono brought the cup to his lips and sipped it. "Mmmm... what heavenly flavors. What divine interplay of sweetness... what righteous-"

"Miyamono-sama?" Anko interrupted.

"Oh, yes, yes..." He shook his head, hurriedly walking over to his desk and setting his tea down gently. "I'm sorry, I nearly lost myself." He turned back around with a friendly smile. "I apologize for seeming unfriendly and paranoid. These villagers here mean a lot to me, you see."

Kurenai smiled in reply. "I understand, sir."

"Now then, let's discuss- Ah!" Miyamono stopped mid-speech and grabbed his chest. His legs buckled from under him as his heart began beating erratically.

"What's happening to him?" Anko and Kurenai ran over to him, as the man began bleeding from his eyes, his nose, his mouth, even his ears. Kurenai looked up at Asami angrily, who was standing in the shadows.

"What did you do to him?!"

She looked up at her and there was cold, dark look in her eyes. "I committed... justice."

The next moment, the man's body blew up in an unbelievably ear-deafening explosion which knocked Anko and Kurenai back and with burn marks on their bodies, they flew into unconsciousness.

* * *

Outside, the group stood around and talked among themselves. Naruto leaned against the wall, scratching his noggin. "Hmm... what do you think they're talking about in there?"

"Political matters." Bruce replied. "Nothing that concerns us right now. All we need to do is let them take care of their business."

Naruto sighed, crossing his arms. "Right..."

"Worried about your girlfriend?" Sakura asked him in a somewhat cross manner.

Naruto blushed and waved his hands in denial. "Wha?! She's not my girlfriend! She's just..." Naruto looked down solemnly. "She's one of the few people who don't look at me like a monster..."

Bruce was confused by this statement. _"Monster?"_

Before he could pursue the subject, an explosion from the office knocked the group on their backs and completely blew a giant hole in the house. Where the office used to be was now piles of rocks. From the smoke, a figure began to walk out.

"What happened?!" Sakura coughed.

"Byakugan!" Veins began to pop around Neji's eyes as he peered into the smoke and when the truth reached his eyes, they widened. "That's-"

Asami walked out of the smoke, dragging Anko and Kurenai by their shirts. She was covered in dirt but still retained the cold, emotionless look on her face.

"Asami?" Naruto coughed. "Asami, what happened? Why are you carrying Snake Lady and Kurenai-sensei?"

Asami dropped them, her hair covering her eyes. She remained silent, simply standing over their bodies.

"Answer us, damn you!" Sakura formed a fist and began to charge.

"Nobody move!" Bruce ordered on his knee with his swords unsheathed. "She's got the advantage. She might harm them if we make any rash movements. Hold your ground."

"Hey, hey, Ryu," Naruto looked at him confused. "What're you talking about? What do you mean by 'advantage'?"

"I don't have time to sugarcoat your feelings, kid. She's an enemy, she caused that explosion and right now, she has the lives of your superiors in her hand."

"Wha..." Naruto turned to Asami, his entire look reminiscent of boy lost and confused. "Asami... what... what's going on? I thought you..."

"Naruto..." She spoke. A tear fell down her cheek. "Forgive me."

Another explosion came out from behind them, knocking Naruto and Tenten off-balance. From the smoke, six people began walking out of it. Naruto's, Sakura's and Bruce's eyes widened in recognition as they saw Hokam, Ken, the man with the open coat and three other people they didn't recognize.

"You!" Sakura exclaimed.

The man walked forward in front of his group. "I congratulate you, Asami. You have repaid the debt you owe."

Asami bowed her head. "Yes, Master."

"'Master'? What the hell do you mean 'Master'?" Naruto shouted.

Ken crossed his arms with a smirk, looking at Bruce. "Hey, hey... I like that stance you got there. You look, no, no... you feel different than before."

Bruce glared at him. "Step forward... and see how different I am."

Hokam tossed some chips into his mouth, shuddering. "Ken, that guy's pretty scary. I'm glad I didn't have to fight him."

"Who are you people?! Tenten demanded.

The silver haired man glanced at her, his face hard and frowning. "Who are we? We are Kage... the ones who strike from the shadows and invoke justice. My name is Dante and I declare war on the will of your village."

"Will?" Sakura questioned.

"The will of Fire..." Naruto slowly uttered, standing on his feet. "The will of the village that the Old Man used to talk about..."

Dante turned to the boy. "So, you're him? The boy Asami spoke of? Naruto Uzumaki... Uzumaki... Hmph."

"You son of a bitch! What the hell did you to Asami?"

"I did nothing, fool. She was as she is from the very beginning. You simply lack the aptitude to accept the darkness you see in front of you and instead opt to emphasize some misplaced goodness you find in them, even if it is a ruse."

Naruto couldn't reply, only tightening his fists in frustration. Dante then turned to Bruce, looking him straight in the eye. "Are you the one... the one who hurt my comrade? Who tried to find out about me through him?"

"That's me." Bruce replied, holding his stare.

"I see..." No one, even Neji, saw Dante move. He rushed forward and kicked Bruce in the stomach, knocking him into a wall. A vein was seen popping from his head and his frown was even more pronounced. "I won't forgive anyone who hurts my comrades, my family!"

Asami began walking towards the other group, past Naruto's friends. "Asami..." He called out but she kept walking. "Asami, what're you doing?!"

Asami stopped in front of Q, the attractive woman standing right behind Dante. She was a little shorter than Dante, with sky blue eyes and yellow hair. Her yellow hair was tied up in a bun and two wavy strands came down the right side of her face. She wore black glasses and a dark red qipao dress with black sleeves. She also wore black pants and black sandals and her lips were a pretty pink.

"I commend you for bravery, Asami. Despite your crimes, you still face justice like a warrior. You have my respect, regardless of the circumstances." Dante began to reach for his sword when he glanced at the rubble he kicked Bruce under. Bruce walked forward, cracking his neck and looking no worse for wear. Dante narrowed his eyes in suspicion. _"I could've sworn I hit him with enough power to drive him unconscious... so why does he look fine now?"_

Bruce spat on the ground, wiping his chin. He gave Dante a look of pure fearlessness, the glare doing well to emphasize it on his face. "What else you got?" He challenged daringly.

Just as Dante began to reply did he get cut off by the entrance of a familiar face. Isao ran into the building, behind Dante and his group, panting and bent over, holding his knees. "Te... Ten-ten! Are you alright?!"

"Father!"

"Higuarashi-san!" Neji cried.

The veins in Dante's eyes reached his pupil and with ferocious speed, he had moved from where he was and grabbed the man's neck, forcefully bringing Isao to his knees. The ground from where Dante had stood had been indented and Isao was struggling to breathe with Dante's death grip. Dante was breathing hard and fast, his look so dark and foreboding that it made tears build up in the corner of Isao's eyes.

"Pl... ease... s... top..."

"Are you... Higuarashi?"

"Y...yes..."

"Stop it!" Tenten took out a kunai and Neji activated his Byakugan and then they both charged to save her father.

"Hijoshikina! Daisuke!" Dante called out.

A muscular, average heighted man with long, spiky black hair and the sides and back of the hair trimmed with a lighter black along with another man, who was tall but skinny and pale, jumped up in attention. The muscular man, Daisuke, had black eyes with an 'X' shaped scar on his right cheek along with a pronounced jawline. He wore a sleeveless green shirt with a necklace tucked inside and black pants along with black sandals. On his wrists were iron wristbands. The tall, skinny man, Hijoshikina, had long spiky black hair as well that went down to his back and his eyes were a pale purple. His face looked like a ghost and one got a creepy vibe from him. He wore a long, white coat and underneath was a mesh shirt, along with a black shendyt (the skirt-like clothing Ancient Egyptians used to wear) that he wore over green pants and blue sandals.

"Yes, sir." Daisuke replied.

Hijoshikina merely gave an eerie smile as he and Daisuke intercepted Neji and Tenten. Daisuke came down with a drop kick, forcing Neji to block it. Neji was forced to bend his knees and struggled against the kick as he felt it fracture his arm.

" _Damn... what a powerful kick!"_

Tenten tried to run towards Neji but then found her movement restricted. "What?"

"Fufufufufu... I'll let you turn around, panda girl."

Tenten felt her head turn without her control to see Hijoshikina had blue chakra threads flowing from his hands onto her. She widened her eyes as she was forced to kneel on the ground while Neji fought Daisuke by himself.

Daisuke flipped back from the kick while Neji took up his stance. Daisuke moved forward to Neji's right and Neji circled his leg, keeping his weight balanced as Daisuke placed his weight on his hand and spun on it, giving a kick to the head. Neji ducked under it and tried to give him a quick finger jab to the ribs but Daisuke was fast enough to grab and control Neji's hand before coming down and kicking him in the gut. Neji skidded back, gritting his teeth as Daisuke followed up with an elbow strike to the head. Neji tapped the elbow and spun on his heel, keeping himself near Daisuke as he came behind him and tried to jab in the back of the neck. Without even looking, Daisuke ducked under it and gave it a reverse kick to Neji's feet, who jumped over it into the air.

"Eight Trigams Vacuum Palm!" Neji thrusted his palm forward and sent the vacuum shell towards his opponent.

Daisuke tightened his arm and took a wide stance. "Wind Cutting Aerial Fist!" Daisuke threw his punch and it collided with Neji's attack, the two releasing a pressure in the air that made both Daisuke and Neji skid back, Neji more so.

While Daisuke dealt with Neji, Dante continued his business with Isao. "In the previous war, where Konoha sacked village after village, murdered man and woman alike... were you the one who issued them weapons?"

"Of... course..."

Datne narrowed his eyes dangerously, his dark look reaching new heights. "Do you have any regrets... for the people that died... the people that _**you**_ helped kill?"

"It... was for... the sake of... my village... I... have... no regrets..."

"I see..." Dante reached for the sword on his back. "Then I will feel no remorse and will carve those words on your tombstone..."

"Father!"

"Move it!" Neji tried to rush past Daisuke, giving him two more air palms to keep him at a distance but Daisuke dodged them and stepped to Neji. "Fine then... Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms!" Neji struck at Daisuke with two jabs but he dodged them. He sent four, but they were dodged. Eight, dodged. Sixteen dodged. With every jab, Daisuke's eyes were ready and focused, weaving out of the way of Neji's lightning fast strikes. After 64 strikes, all Neji could do was stare at Daisuke in complete shock.

" _I... I missed... all of them?! How..."_ He wasn't allowed to finish his thoughts as Daisuke, with even more speed than before, jumped forward and landed a knee strike directly in Neji's face, which sent him flying into a wall.

Bruce, Sakura and Naruto tried to stop Dante as well but were also intercepted by Ken, Q, and Hokam. Bruce brought his swords down on Ken, the black chakra coating them. Ken blocked it with his own chakra-fueled blade, a confident smirk on his face.

"Hmm... you seem a little more dangerous today."

Bruce glared at him darkly. "Get out my way."

Naruto created shadow clones and tried to rush towards Dante but Hokam put his hands to his mouth and shot wind bullets at Naruto and his clones.

Sakura ran forward as well but Q stood in front of her, holding her hand out and her other hand on her forehead. Her eyes were closed, implying intense focus. Sakrua raised her fist and prepared to strike. "Get out of the way!"

"Ninja Art: Mental Cease."

Sakura suddenly found herself stopping and the next moment, falling face first to the floor. "Huh..." She uttered drowsily. "What... why can't I..."

" _Shh... Sleep now, child."_

Sakura's eyes slowly closed. "She's mentally... talking to me...?"

Tenten could only watch in slow motion as Dante raised his huge sword and brought it over his father's head. _"Father... no... I... don't have anyone else... I... don't want to be alone..."_ Tenten had tears running down her face. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak and she couldn't even turn away. She was powerless to stop anything. She could only watch as her father reached out to her and smiled.

" _Father..."_

"This... is... JUSTICE!" Dante brought the sword down on his head and cleaved his skull in half, the blood from the blow trickling down his head. Isao's body slumped to the floor, dead and motionless. Tenten was now crying rivers as she watched her father's blood pool beneath him.

" _NOOOOOOO! NO! Father..."_

"You bastard..." Naruto got up, shaking off Hokam's attack. "You bastard..."

" _Those are yours. On the house."_

" _Father!" Tenten exclaimed, stunned. "Those are expensive."_

" _Are you sure, old man?" Naruto asked. "I don't wanna-"_

" _Don't worry about it." He insisted. "Consider it a gift for entertaining an old man."_

" _Heh, well, thanks!"_

Naruto's head was lowered and he was limping as blood trickled from his mouth. "Damn you... you bastard..."

 _Naruto scratched the back of his head in a sheepish motion. "Hehe... what did you say your name was, old man?"  
_

" _My name is Isao Higurashi. I own a weapons shop in Konohagakure."_

" _Really? Are you famous?"_

" _Of course, dear boy! Our weapons were issued to our shinobi in every single Great War." Isao stated proudly._

"I'll make you pay..." Red chakra began circling around him. Hokam grimaced and stepped forward but was stopped by Dante. "I'll..." Naruto made a clone and held his hand, the clone formed a Rasengan, slightly bigger than normal. "I'll... KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Naruto's eyes were blood red and his teeth were canines. "ROT IN HELL, DAMN YOU!" Naruto charged him with the Rasengan but Dante calmly held up his finger and just as Naruto thrusted his attack, did he simply tap in the center and it dissipated. "Wha-"

Dante grab Naruto's arm and pulled him forward before elbowing him in the stomach, the strike being powerful enough to send him to his knees. Naruto spit up his lunch as he tried to regain his composure, painfully clutching his stomach. "H-how... No one's... ever..."

Dante looked down at him with a cold but calculating eyes. "Your technique... is based off of the Fourth Hokage's technique, no? There are several weaknesses to that technique, one being the severe chakra point in which it is centered. When you gather all your chakra into one giant sphere, all it takes is the right kind of chakra penetration to attack that point and cancel your technique. It's not particularly advanced. Even that Hyuga boy could do it with enough practice and timing. If your only attack is the Rasengan, some clones and a fox in your stomach, you're pathetic. Rushing in without a plan, expecting to win based on a win and wearing clothing that makes you stick out... No, boy. You don't deserve to be called a shinobi. I should call you what you are... a joke." Dante grabbed Naruto's hair and threw him into a wall several feet from himself. Naruto sat up, grunting and groaning from his injuries. He glared at Dante but it had no effect.

Asami walked up beside Dante. "Is it time, Master?"

"Yes, Asami-chan."

"Hey, Asami!" Naruto yelled angrily. "Why are you siding with this guy? Why are you helping him?!"

"She has chosen... to be an instrument of justice."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Her parents... were tools in a war which ravaged land after land, killing village after village. Her parents have done me and my comrades a great injustice. But, I cannot extract justice from them, as they lie beneath the ground, soiling the worm's appetite with their sinned flesh. However, she has realized that their sins is for her to carry and honorably intends to hold it out. She has aided in us in our quest for justice, following every order without question. She is a true martyr."

"What kinda crap is that?! Asami! Don't listen to these guys! You're not responsible for what your parents did!"

"My parents... were criminals. Criminals who never had to face proper justice, who never had the decency to face their victims with remorse. I will not follow in their footsteps but rather face judgment in their place, as I should. As justice demands... I'm sorry, Naruto..." A lone tear slowly fell from her eye, running down her cheek as she brightly smiled at him. "I'm happy... I'm happy I met you. Because of you... my loneliness began to fade, if even for a few days. I'm grateful to you and I thank you. And now..." She slowly closed her eyes as Dante stepped behind her and reached for his sword. "I can die in peace..."

"NO! STOP!"

Dante brought his sword down on Asami, cutting her diagonally in half and splitting her body in two. Naruto couldn't look away as the two parts of her body fell to the floor.

Bruce gritted his teeth in righteous anger, channeling the chakra into his blades more intensely. "Get out of my way, now!" Bruce kicked Ken in the stomach, giving Bruce a slight opening. He took it, pumping chakra into his feet and pushed off the ground. This had the effect of speedily launching him towards Dante and with his swords raised, he gave him a shallow gash across the cheek. Dante's eyes widened slightly.

" _How did he move so fast? I almost didn't see him coming..."_

Bruce glared at him. "You're going to pay for those deaths."

"Those deaths were justifiable."

"There was no justice here, only vengeance. Only cold-blooded murder, you psychopath."

"Is that so? Is that how you would define it? Then tell me... what is justice?"

That question caught Bruce off-guard. "Is it," Dante continued. "Killing who you deem worthy or who society deems worthy? What is justice? Who gets to define justice, the many or the few? Me or you? What is justice? Is it the manner in which all villagers collectively decide to share blood on their hands by collectively choosing to execute a man? Is that justice? Is justice better where we all kill a man or where one man chooses to kill who wronged him? Is that we all become murderers and we can all share the guilt, which helps us sleep better at night, that we can call justice a virtue? And what is vengeance, if not the justice for the conscious?"

Bruce had no answer and could only listen as Dante spoke. "It seems you have no answer. You, too, seem to favor justice but yet you have never questioned what it is, in its essence? If you have no answer, I will give you mine. Justice... is balance of the mind. Whoever wrongs you deserves something in return. Balance. It is not the place of others who have not felt the experience to determine the fate of your attacker. Who decides that is you. Justice is a personal vendetta, synonymous of what you would call 'vengeance'. Who restricts you, restricts justice."

"Justice isn't about being judge, jury _and_ executioner..." Bruce fiercely retorted.

"According to whose authority? Yours? What makes your word any better than mine? Do we not both bleed? Are we not human? In what way, in all unbiased observation, do your conclusions surpass mine? The easy answer is they don't. Your conclusion about my justice could only be truly based on the fact that you don't like it. And that's fine, because I don't care."

Neji stood up on his feet, stumbling slightly but being no worse for wear. He glanced at Isao's body and shut his eyes painfully. _"Higuarashi-san... Forgive me...!"_ He turned his head towards Dante but what he saw happening behind him shocked him.

Naruto continued to stare at Asami's body, not moving and barely breathing. He didn't blink and he couldn't even shed tears. His body felt numb and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. The numbness began to disappear and a raw flood of emotions began to overwhelm him, memories of Asami filling his brain.

" _Is something wrong, Uzumaki-san?"_

 _Naruto's head rose upon hearing his name. "Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine."_

 _She smiled at him sweetly. "Everything will be okay. Whatever it is you seek, you will achieve it."_

 _Naruto was somewhat surprised by this statement. "You knew what I was thinking?"_

" _Your eyes had the glow of someone who wanted to improve himself, to dedicate yourself to some goal. Your glow is dim, indicting you're sad about something. Perhaps, you think yourself inadequate but from your eyes, I see your drive and determination. Whatever it is, it seems like you will find your answer so please do not despair."_

" _W-woah... How did you know all of that?"_

" _They say the eyes are the gateway to the soul within. I simply peeked inside." She tucked her hair behind her ear, still smiling. "I hope you didn't mind."  
_

 _Naruto's cheeks became a light pink. "N-no, that's fine. Thank you, Asami-san."_

Naruto's heart began beating faster and he could feel his skin becoming hotter.

 _Asami blushed a deep red. "Um... Naruto-san?"_

" _Hm?"_

" _Y-your... your pants are unzipped."_

" _Aw crap!" He exclaimed, spinning around with his cheeks crimson. "My bad, my bad!" He quickly tucked away Naruto Jr. before turning back around, his whiskered cheeks graced with a light pink. Asami giggled, covering her hand with her mouth. Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head before finally laughing as well._

Naruto's hair became spikier, his teeth more sharp and his eyes more feral.

" _A-are you... crying for me?"_

" _I wish... I wish I were born in your village. Then, you wouldn't have been so lonely. I think I would've liked being your friend."_

 _Naruto smiled widely. "It's never too late to be friends. My name's Naruto Uzumaki! The man who'll someday become Hokage!"_

 _Asami wiped the tears out of her eyes, a happy glow in them now. "Hehehe... My name is Asami Kurokawa. It's nice to make your acquaintance, Naruto-kun!"_

 _Naruto chuckled happily until Asami leaned in and kissed him on his cheek, leaving him surprised and flustered. Before he could say anything, she softly placed her finger on his lips. "Rule number one: When a girl kisses you, it's best not to question it too much."_

 _Naruto nodded rapidly, a blush still adorning his cheeks. Asami smiled, sticking her tongue out at him playfully._

Red chakra burst from around him, circling and enveloping his body with it until it formed a fox shroud. The shroud gave him long ears and it possessed three tails. _"I'll... make him pay... I'll fight him... I'll beat him... and then... and then..._ _ **then I'll rip his neck open and watch him die... I'll punch a hole into his chest and crush his heart... I'll kill him... I'LL KILL HIM... I'LL KILL EVERYTHING!"**_ **"HUAWAAHHHHHHH!"**

Naruto got on all fours as he eyes met his prey with malice. **"Dante..."**


	12. Chapter 12: No more, Mum

Three tails shrouded Naruto pounced forward, bringing his red chakra claw down on Dante. The claw never reached him as Hokam blocked it with his rock arm. Ken stood beside him with his sword drawn.

"Dante-san," Ken said. "Let us handle this."

"You don't have to." He replied.

"It'd be an honor, sir." Hokam replied. "I can't allow spoiled food to get near our leader." 

"Quit the 'sir' crap, Hokam."

" **MOVE OUT OF THE DAMN WAY!"** Naruto furiously shouted. Hokam's arm began to burn and the skin was turning black. With his other arm, Hokam punched Naruto in the gut and sent him flying out of the wall of the mansion. Hokam and Ken jumped after him, leaving Dante with the remaining members of Kage.

Bruce turned to Neji. "Can you handle this?"

Neji, with a cold, firm look, nodded. Bruce nodded in turn and proceeded to go after them but was blocked off by Dante. "I've got a special guest for you."

Bruce reached into his belt and threw a smoke pellet to the ground. Dante clapped his hands strongly, creating enough force to dispel the smoke around him.

When the smoke cleared, Bruce was gone. Dante glanced above him to see Bruce attached to the ceiling, weaving hands signs. Dante snapped his fingers and a puff of smoke appeared beside him, and once the smoke was gone, Yoshi was revealed to be kneeling next to him. Yoshi wore standard Shinobi gear, with a grey vest along with a sword on his back. He had black attire and a black bandana on his head.

"Dante-san."

"Yoshi, your chance for justice has come. I've chosen to let you obtain with your own two hands. Is this acceptable to you?"

"Of course, sir. Whatever you decide, I willingly follow."

"Then go, Yoshi. Don't let the one who hurt you get away without pain."

"Yes, sir!"

Bruce threw an explosive kunai down at them. "Shadow Shuriken Clone Technique!"

The explosive kunai became ten and when they flew, Bruce had already jumped out of the mansion while Yoshi gave chase, leaving Dante with his group and Neji with his fallen ones. Before the blades came too close, Dante reached for his blade and slashed at them, creating a giant aerial slash that detonated the kunai and cut through the roof.

"Is that a good idea, Dante? Letting Yoshi fight alone?" Q asked.

"Though he may be the weakest of the group, I trust he'll be able to extract his justice. I believe that."

Outside, Bruce led Yoshi into the village, where the villagers had already evacuated. Yoshi was jumping building from building, keeping on his tail.

Bruce glanced back, unsheathing the sword on his hip. _"I can't take care of this man with the threat of his allies around me. I need to lead him into isolation where they won't be able to help him when he loses..."_

Bruce pulled his cowl over his face as Yoshi caught up and brought his sword down on Batman, who blocked it with his own blade. Batman pushed him off and Yoshi landed on the building in front of him.

" **You again?"**

"Dante-san has offered me the chance for justice. I will live up to his expectations!"

Batman's blade began to exhibit a black hue. **"I'll give you one chance to walk away."**

"Now, faced with a confident enemy, do you cower in fear? Do you think you will be allowed to walk away after hurting me?"

" **No. There's just no good reason why I should hurt _you_ again, now that I know who you work for."**

"I won't let you touch Dante-san."

" **I didn't ask for permission."**

Batman threw several kunai at Yoshi, who blocked him with his tanto. Batman quickly threw a smoke bomb to the ground, disappearing from sight.

"You won't get away!" Yoshi crossed his hands. "Shadow Clone Technique!" Three puffs of smoke were seen and heard around Yoshi, revealing his clones around him. Yoshi attached an explosive tag to one of them. "Scatter!"

The clones began searching the buildings, searching the alleyways, searching the dumpsters. _**"He's frantic, eager but inexperienced. He knows how to fight but he doesn't understand how to fight. He doesn't know all the methods, but I do. And I intend to use them."**_

As a shadow clone ventured into an alleyway, it was soundly taken out, causing an explosion which attracted the attention of the other clone and Yoshi. They moved through the alleyway, seeing the singed rock and burned buildings. Two kunai came from behind them and hit the clones square in the neck.

" _ **I can tell which one is the clone and which one is real... I don't know how but I can feel it. I can sense it... their chakra resonates and I understand what it tells me. It allows me to peer through the deceit and perceive my true opponent."**_

Yoshi turned to around just in time to block a kick from Batman, the strike powerful enough to send him skidding back. "You won't break me again!" Yoshi quickly weaved hand signs before bringing his hand around his mouth. _"Hokam-san taught me this one!"_

"Wind Style: Wind Bullets!" Several aerial bullets began flying but with expert accuracy, Batman cut through all of them with his chakra infused sword. Yoshi's eyes widened but he continued the assault by jumping back, throwing five shuriken and weaving more signs. "Fire Style: Shuriken Technique!" Yoshi blew fire out of his mouth and lit each projectile on fire, sending them towards Batman.

Batman reached behind his belt and threw five explosive kunai at the projectiles, exploding them and releasing smoke in the mid-air. From this smoke, several batarangs flew out at Yoshi, who just barely managed to dodge them. Yoshi wasn't prepared for Batman to come down from above and cut his shoulders. Batman made sure the cuts weren't deep enough to be life-threatening and when Yoshi tried to turn to attack, Batman headbutt him in the nose. With a nosebleed, stumbled back and watched as Batman fazed away in a swarm of bats. Yoshi looked around confused as the sun faded away and night fell over.

" _Genjutsu?"_ Yoshi put his hands in the tiger seal. "Release!" 

" **No. There is no leaving. No exit, no escape. You're here to stay."**

"Show yourself coward!"

His answer was a swarm of bats to his face which he tried and failed to swat away. The world began to shift into a dark, desolate building. Dark clouds were seen circling it and he could hear an owl hooing from somewhere. The next moment, Yoshi was now inside and his body was strapped to a gurney. He was being strolled through a hall and steel doors with barred openings was all he could see from his right and left. They were dangerous looking men who peered through the openings with angry, sadistic, insane eyes. One of them in particular, with several scars on his forehead and cheeks, looked at him with substantial interest.

The man held his hand up and began scratching another mark into his face with his fingernail. "I'm going to carve you open, zombie." A sadistic smirk and a trail of blood dripping from his face was all that he needed to make him nervous.

"Alright..." Yoshi heard a voice behind him but couldn't turn his head. "Let's see... Ah, yes, yes. Schizophrenia, right? Hallucinations, hearing things... I guess we got a lot of work to do." The lights from the hallway continued to dim while the voice continued. "Now, don't worry. I know what you're thinking. This is all new and fresh and frankly, a little scary, am I right? But the most important thing to remember is that you have to calm down..." Yoshi felt something land on his forehead and a huge bat leaned over him, looking him straight in the eye. **"Or YoU'** _ **ll**_ **gO iN** _ **SA**_ **nE."**

Yoshi's eyes opened and he was now hanging upside down. He had syringes all over his body and he felt incredibly numb. From his upside-down vision, he saw a half-naked man just standing there staring at him. He had a wig on his head and the top right of his face looked like it was sewn on. The man was sitting in a rocking chair, cradling what looked to be a baby. When a more careful once over was given, it was seen to be a tailless squirrel. The man had a dead look in his eyes.

"Mum... I don't think... Mr. Bubbles will make it..." He began tearing up and moving back and forth in the rocking chair faster. "We have to do something, help him, HELP HIM!"

Yoshi couldn't say anything, he couldn't move and he couldn't even shut his eyes. His heart was pounding faster and faster, the sound thundering in his ears as the man stopped rocking the chair and held the squirrel up, just staring at it for a moment. The man then stood up and walked over to a desk, standing over it with the squirrel in his hand.

"MR. BUBBLES!" He slammed the squirrel's head on the desk, smearing its blood across the wood. "COME BACK TO ME, MR. BUBBLES!" Sobbing, the man collapsed falling on his backside and hugging his knees. "He was my only friend..." The man's head turned to look at Yoshi but with a more excited gleam in his eyes this time. "But now... I have another friend. You'll love me, right? Right?!"

He stood up, his eye still on Yoshi, and walked over to him. "Mum... I found a new friend. Can you hear me, Mum? Maybe not... I remember... One night, I came downstairs and my Mum was on the couch. She wasn't saying anything or doing anything... She wouldn't answer me! So, I ran through the kitchen and fished out a knife and stabbed her 17 times but she still... wouldn't... TALK TO ME! WHY, MUM, WHY?!" The man broke off a piece of wood from the desk, seething and his nostrils flaring. "Why, Mum? Why, Mr. Bubbles?! Why won't anyone talk to me?! Why won't anyone love me?!" He began stabbing Yoshi in the abdomen, over and over again and Yoshi could only watch it. He couldn't scream but he very much felt the pain.

"WHYYY?!" The man bellowed.

Yoshi's eyes opened and he found himself lying in dead grass. They were scarecrows all around, adorned by pitch black, red eyed crows. He once again found it impossible to move as the crows eyed him, watched him. Yoshi's eyes traveled to his stomach where no wound could be seen.

"Hello, hello." A man wearing brown pants and glasses walked up to him. He had brown hair and a sinister look. "I'm Dr. Crane. I'll be driving you insane today. Your prescribed medicine: Fe _ **a**_ _R_ **!** " The crows immediately flew from the perches and began dining on Yoshi's flesh. They ripped him apart, tearing into him with their beaks. They tore out his muscles, his veins, his throat, his arms. They were vicious, ruthless and merciless, giving no time for a break. Continuous pain and it was enough, combined with his experience so far, to nearly drive him mad.

In the real world, Yoshi was lying against a wall with tears flowing from his eyes and drool coming from his mouth. Batman stood across from him, holding his blades at his sides.

" _ **I had injected him with a strong muscles relaxant that prevented him from being able to physically break the genjutsu. It's been five minutes so it should be wearing off around..."**_

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

" _ **...now."**_

Yoshi began waving his hands rapidly, squirming and twitching and screaming at the top of his lungs. "NO! NO, PLEASE! PLEASE, STOP!" His eyes scanned rapidly for crows but instead rested on the giant bat standing in front of him. "NO! No, no, no, no! Please, please!" He squirmed back, waving his hands as Batman stalked forward.

" **I've given you physical torture and mental torture... There are many more ways for me to break you, many more ways for me to hurt you. I don't have to kill you, but I can break you. I will, if I have to. Do I have to, Yoshi?"**

"No, no, you don't! Please, I'm sorry! I'll leave you alone, I'm sorry!"

" **Good."**

Batman's attention was then turned to the sound of an explosion where Naruto was fighting. He narrowed his eyes, before jumping off, leaving Yoshi to ball up and rock back and forth. Sobbing, Yoshi shook his head slowly and rhythmically, muttering to himself.

"No more, Mum... no more... No more, Mum... no more..."


	13. Chapter 13: Fun is a Chore

A.N.: Okay, before we get to the story, I feel the need to clarify a few things. Some of you are under the impression that this is the Batman that has been under Morrison's pen or Snyder's but it's not. Rather this is a Batman influenced from them. This is _my_ version of Batman, as I depict him in my main Batman series. So, he isn't in his 30s but early to mid-20s, he is in his second year of crime fighting so he is still relatively inexperienced and gaining a rogues gallery. I'm trying to keep this in pace with the current events that happen in Batman's life. Now that that's out of the way, for those who are wondering what he looks like, I describe it in my story, "Batman Chronicles: Origins s/11153476/2/Batman-Chronicles-Origins" but if you guys don't want to read that, here is the description from Chapter 6 of the story: [Returning to his cave, the newly donned 'Batman' walked up to his supercomputer. Coming into the light, his suit now came into full view. His cowl was made of out of Kevlar with flexible material particularly around his eyebrows and eyes, allowing him to narrow or widen them at will. It was all black in color and consisted of two long pointy black ears with red outlining them. This concealed all but his mouth, which he kept in an imposing frown. The cowl's eyes were red, adding to the fierceness. The extent of the cowl reached down to his collarbone and held his cape in place. His cape was also black, draped around his shoulders and reached down to the his feet, spreading out slightly behind him. The end of the cape was trimmed, forming a triangular shaped scallop. His actual suit was made of Kevlar body armor, which was black with a red bat symbol and red adorning his obliques. On his hands were black leather gloves with three scallops sticking out of each glove. The scallops were also outlined with red. On the right glove was a small reinforced mini-computer. On his waist, he wore a dark silver utility belt with compartments adorned around its center, with extra equipment being hooked onto the back, hidden by his cape. The buckle had the small red bat symbol in its center. His black boots were modeled after Tactical boots, with a few modifications and a red line running down the middle. It was made of lightweight durable rubber, was made to be more flexible to allow for full extension, the bottom had a flexible sole split and was textured for different surfaces and terrain. They also were built with steel toes.] There. So, like I said, Batman _will_ get stronger and will gradually kick the asses of stronger foes. It's a process and you're going to have to go through it with him the whole way. Sound good? Okay, good. Now, without further ado, enjoy.

* * *

Neji jumped back from Daisuke's drop kick, the black haired man staring him down emotionlessly. Neji tried to finger jab him in the throat but Daisuke shifted his body and backhanded him in the face. When Neji stumbled back, Daisuke leaped forward with a powerful side kick, the impact inflating Neji's stomach and sending him flying into a wall.

Tenten was still on her knees, unable to do anything. She was certainly trying but still incapable of moving even her eyelids. Her tears had dried and her eyes were still fixed upon the corpse of her father. Hijoshikina walked in front of the girl, crouching down to her height.

"Tell me, young lady, do you hate our leader now? Do you wish to snap his neck, perhaps, rip his heart out? You do, don't you? I can tell you do. Well, then... I'll make a deal." Hijoshikina's face became very sinister and extremely dark as he leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "I'll let you kill him. You wanna kill him, don't you? I'll let you. How about it? Just nod if you want to." Moving his thumb up and down, he made her nod. "Good. Fufufu... Very good. I'll let you..."

" _What?!"_ Tenten thought incredulously. _"Who is this creep? What motive could he possibly have for letting me- No... don't question it too much. Will he... is he telling-?"_

"Nah, I won't. I'm just kidding... but you believed me, didn't you? Did you believe me? Or no? I suppose it doesn't matter... since you can't talk anyway, my cute, broken-hearted doll." He licked her cheek, sending shivers down her spine. "Fufufufu... you taste so bitter. I love it."

"Stop that, Hijoshikina." Q said, a stern, cross look on her face.

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am. I got too excited." He backed away from the girl with his chakra threads still controlling her.

Neji came out from under the rubble, panting slightly. He was pissed off. He had let one of the most precious people to his comrade die. She was helplessly staring at his body while he struggled to get past Daisuke, who merely stood there and stared at him.

"I'll take you down!"

"No... you won't."

Neji charged him while Daisuke prepared himself with a stance. Neji tried to kick him but Daisuke blocked it and spun on his heel to elbow Neji in the face. Neji bobbed his head back before kicking Daisuke in the shin and then striking him the chest with both of his palms. Daisuke, however, with stood it while giving Neji a grave look.

"Is that it? Is that all you can muster?" Daisuke grabbed Neji's collar, lifting him up in the air. "If that's the case..." Daisuke pressed his fist to Neji's chest. "Then you're not worth my time, Hyuga." Using incredible force, Daisuke punched him from into a wall. The pain from the strike was great enough to make Neji cough up blood and struggle to breathe.

" _This guy... he's stronger than Guy-sensei... I can't do this alone."_ As if on cue, Anko and Kurenai, who were previously unconscious, began to wake up.

"Ugh, that bitch..." Anko shook her head and began taking in her surroundings. She saw Q standing over Sakura, Hijoshikina holding Tenten in place, Daisuke staring at Neji, who was knocked through a wall and Dante, who simply stared off in the distance where loud booms and roars could be heard. "What the hell is going on?"

"Oh, no..." Kurenai saw the bodies of Asami and Tenten's father lying on the ground and her eyes then roamed to the sword on Dante's back, its blade dripping with blood. "You bastard...! Did you do this?"

Dante glanced over his shoulder, gave her a once over, before turning back and looking out at the battlefield.

"You were just asked a question, a##hole!" Anko angrily shouted. Still no answer. "Damn you..." She took a kunai and together with Kurenai began to run forward towards Dante.

"Stop." Q sauntered smoothly in front of them, pushing her glasses up to her face. "Our leader has not given you permission to approach him."

"The hell? Get outta of our way!"

Kurenai narrowed her eyes. _"Sky blue eyes, pale blond hair... She can't be..."_

"I'm afraid I cannot do that."

Anko held out her arm and from her sleeve, several poisonous snakes began to extend towards her. Q smirked before holding out her hand. A vein popped in her head and an invisible wave felt only by the snakes flew through the air.

" _Enough."_ She commanded mentally. The snakes stopped in front of her, docile and harmless. She pet them with a smile.

"What the-" Anko couldn't believe her eyes. _"She tamed the snakes? How the hell?"_

"Trade secret." Q replied. Anko's eyes widened. "Yes, I can hear every thought as if you were whispering it in my ear." She pointed at Anko and the snakes began turning on her, rushing in to bite her. Anko quickly dispelled the snakes, the creatures disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"She's strong..." Kurenai commented.

"Just like that fat bastard. Every last one of these shinobi are on different levels... Kurenai, we need to work together."

"Agreed."

Anko summoned a bo staff while Kurenai began weaving hand signs. Anko then slammed a smoke ball to the ground, reducing Q's ability to see them.

From the rubble, Neji pushed off the rocks, standing up on his wobbly feet. He spat blood on the ground before glaring coldly at Daisuke. _"We can't beat these people. We were far too ill-prepared for their arrival and if this goes on... they'll kill us."_

Neji glanced at Tenten and then at the man controlling her. _"I'll only have one chance at this... Need to make it count!"_

Neji spread his arms out and began spinning, releasing chakra that eventually covered him in a dome of blue. Daisuke stepped back as the dome increased in radius and engulfed the area he and Neji were in. When the move died down, Neji was no longer there. Daisuke glanced behind him.

"Hijoshikina, be on alert!"

"Hmm?"

Anko ran forward flinging her bo at Q, who stopped the object in mid-air. The object disappeared in a foggy haze, initially confusing Q. She then smiled to herself as realization hit her.

"Ah, I see... Genjutsu. Release." The fog faded away and when reality was present once more, she saw Neji cut the chakra threads that held Tenten while Anko punched Hijoshikina in the face.

Finally free, emotion began flooding through Tenten like a torrent. She jumped phenomenally high in the air and unleashed a barrage of weapons at Dante. "DROP DEAD, DAMN YOU!"

Dante didn't react, the attack instead being deflected by Q's mental powers. Daisuke ran up the walls before jumping off and trying to kick Tenten. This attack failed as Neji had jumped after him and protected her with a block.

"Who do you think you're trying to hit? Your opponent is right in front of you!" He said.

Daisuke and Neji came down while Tenten landed ungracefully, shaking in fury.

"Tenten, calm down!" Neji shouted.

"I'll kill him! I'll kill him, I swear it!"

"We can't do it now! They're too powerful and Naruto is unleashing his Kyuubi power. We can't afford to waste time here!"

"Are we just going to let them go free?!"

"We have no choice, Tenten!"

"Tch!"

Hijoshikina stood up from the ground, cracking his neck. "Ah, that scared me a bit. Just a bit, though, not too much." He began walking in front of the Konoha shinobi, cackling to himself.

"Stop playing around, you eccentric moron." Daisuke reprimanded.

"Oh, shush. When playing with ants, you have to have fun..." He turned his head and stared at them with a dangerous, off-putting predatory look that made Neji and Tenten flinch. "Or killing them just becomes a chore."

He raised his hands and his fingertips began to glow blue with chakra. He gave a twisted smile, the edges of his mouth reaching ear for ear. "But there's a point where too much fun just becomes a chore too and ever since a boy, I did used to hate chores. With a raging passion. Time to get serious..."

"Anko!" Kurenai cried out.

"I know, damn it!" She quickly weaved seals before puffing her cheeks. "Ninja Art: Poison Mist!"

She blew smoke out at the group, forcing them all except Hijoshikina to cover the mouths. He merely inhaled and laughed maniacally. "Ah, wonderful! But it won't save you..." He spread his chakra strings and they became a neon-like blue, solid and thick. It then seemed like they gained a life of their own as they took to the air and cut through the fog. When the fog cleared, the rest of the group were allowed to breathe but Anko and the others were gone.

"Damn, they got away." Daisuke said.

"They're not far, though. I can still sense them. We can hunt them down." Q responded.

"Shall we, Dante-san?" Hijoshikina asked. "They're quite easy prey."

"No." He replied. "The Leaf got the message. We'll take care of them another time."

"Fufufufu... are you sure?"

"Yes. For now, Q, call Ken and Hokam back. We're leaving."

"Alright."

The discussion was interrupted by a huge ear-erupting boom, alarming Dante and the group. "All of you, retreat! I'm going after them!"

"Dante-!"

"No!" He cut her off. "That's an order! Leave!" Dante jumped off, grasping his sword and heading to the direction of the explosion.

"Dante..." She looked on sadly.

"Let's go, Q." Daisuke urged her. "Dante is strong, stronger than anyone. He'll be fine and so will the others. We'll believe in our comrades who we have lived and died with and retreat with that confidence."

Q nodded solemnly. "You're right. Let's go, Daisuke."

Dante jumped from building to building until he came upon the clearing where the explosion was heard and his eyes widened upon what greeted his sight.

* * *

A.N.: Thanks for reading guys! If you enjoyed, let me know in the review section and with favs and follows. Til next time!

Green out.


	14. Chapter 14: The Bat and The Fox

After Hokam and Ken knocked a three-tails enraged Naruto out of the building, they chased after him and eventually found themselves at a stand-off outside of the village gate.

" **STAY OUT OF THIS!"** Naruto shot his hand out and an enlarged, giant, red chakra claw struck out at the two, causing them to disperse in a quick jump.

Ken unsheathed his sword, pumping chakra into the blade. "Hokam, don't kill him! We can't afford both Konoha and the Akatsuki on our asses!"

"Gotcha!"

"We'll finish this quickly!"

Hokam weaved hand signs, before grasping his hands together. "Earth Style: Tombstone!"

Rocks uplifted from the ground and began to entrap Naruto in a shrine-like tomb but Naruto roared loudly and busted out with his three tails. His cloak was bubbling and veins were popping out of his skin.

Ken grasped his weapon with both hands, circling Naruto at a speedy pace. "Kenjutsu: Homing Blade Technique!" Ken slashed at Naruto, his sword cutting through the air and sending a blue, flying slash towards him. Naruto jumped off the way, before slamming his hand on the ground and shaking it roughly. Ken jumped and slashed at him again, using the same technique.

Naruto jumped in the air, dodging the attack and growling at Ken. "Wind Style," The voice came from behind. "Great Cyclone Technique!"

With his arms outstretched, Hokam twisted his body and sent a huge, swirling cyclone towards a mid-air Naruto. Crossing his arms together, Naruto swung them outward and in doing so, created his own cyclone that was red in color. The two attacks swirled at deadly speeds before colliding. The wind from each attack shot out and blew each shinobi back several yards.

Ken, pushing through the wind, got close to Naruto, with his sword sheathed. "Ittoryu: Divine Wind!" Ken sliced at Naruto with a towering chakra slash that immediately disturbed the wind pattern and cut through Naruto's shroud, giving him a gash on the chest. Naruto fell on his back, growling and snarling.

" _ **Damn it... Damn it all..."**_ His mind flashed back to Asami. Her smile flashed before his eyes and he couldn't stop the memory from flooding his mind, from making him even more pissed off. **_"I'll rip his goddamned head off... DANTE!"_**

Naruto's body began to become blood red until he was completely engulfed in the color. His skin peeled off, his eyes grew white and another tail sprouted from behind him. **"RUAAAAHHH!"** He screeched angrily, sending birds miles away flying into the sky.

"Damn it, Hokam! If that brat gets to nine tails, this'll get ugly quick!"

"Don't worry! Look," Hokam pointed to the dangling piece of jewelry that just disappeared in his cloak. "That necklace, I recognize it!"

"What about it?"

"My grandmother's sister was the one who made it for the First Hokage. If what my grandmother told me is correct, that necklace seals the power of the Kyuubi. If we can utilize the gem just right, we can shut down the tails he's sprouted."

"How the hell do we go about doing that?"

"Just leave it to me!" Hokam clapped his hands together and began fusing chakra. "Keep him off of me! I can't cook while that animal is interrupting!"

"Alright, then. I'm counting on you!" Ken unsheathed his sword and jumped forward to do battle with Naruto. The four-tailed Jinchuriki disappeared and reappeared behind Ken, striking at him with his clawed hand. Ken barely noted the strike in time, blocking it with his sword, utilizing his chakra blade to its maximum. Ken spun and threw the strike off only for Naruto to send him skidding back roughly. The enraged Bijuu container then clapped his hands, the sound strong enough to crack the ground beneath him and send the sound wave rushing towards Ken.

"Don't underestimate me!" Ken's sword red before he grasped the hilt with two hands and bringing down the sword against the wave, summoning a giant fiery slash to penetrate. The slash singed the ground, painting it a cooked black while the attack continued towards Naruto, who jumped out of the way and began sprinting to Ken on all fours.

Ken sheathed his sword and ran towards his opponent, a cross look on his face. _"Hurry up, Hokam!"_ "Iaido: Wind Dragon!" Ken, in one smooth motion, unsheathed his sword and used the momentum from the action to slice at Naruto with his next technique. A huge wind dragon was sent flying towards him but Naruto disappeared once again. Ken was able to sense the incoming attack from behind, the strike nearly taking his head off as he managed to bend back and avoid it, suffering a small cut to the forehead. Using this opening, Ken impaled his sword into Naruto's leg, causing him to roar loudly. Ken then jumped back several feet, weaving hand signs.

"Fire style: Fire Ball Technique!" Ken blew the fire onto a small, barely noticeable wire attached to the bottom of the hilt of his sword. The fire sped down the string and ignited the blade with fiery chakra, the flames burning the muscles in Naruto's leg.

Ken smirked in satisfaction. _"That shroud may protect you from the blast but if my sword is inside you then you'll definitely feel the fire."_

Pulling on the wire, the sword was jerked out of Naruto's leg and returned to the hand of its owner. The four-tailed Kyuubi-Naruto got down on all fours before he opened his mouth wide and in the opening, a myriad of small red and blue orbs into the center and formed a purple sphere. This sphere continued to grow larger and larger, exuding a massive amount of chakra.

"Hokam! Some urgency would be appreciated!"

"I'm done." Hokam landed next to Ken, his arm glowing with all sorts of kanji adorning it. "I just need to grasp the necklace and we'll seal him."

"Good. I'll distract him and when you see the opening, seal the Kyuubi's chakra."

Four-tailed Kyuubi-Naruto swallowed the ball before disappearing in blinding speed and reappearing right above them. Ken and Hokam glanced up to see him spit out the attack in a large blast that exploded when it made contact with the ground. The result was a huge explosion that created a dynamically large crater and generated an ear-deafening noise.

* * *

Batman stood on a roof near the outskirts of the village and what his eyes met was a huge crater at least half a mile in radius. Standing in the center was Naruto cloaked in a four-tail shroud. He felt a shift of wind to his right and turned to see Dante standing a few feet off on another rooftop overlooking the damage as well.

Dante's eyes searched wildly for his comrades until they rested on a small dome of crumbled rock. A few seconds later, he saw Ken push himself out of the rubble but drag a bloody Hokam out as well. His eyes widened and he immediately jumped to them.

"Hokam!" Dante landed beside them.

Ken laid Hokam on the ground. Ken's body had minor cuts and such but he was fine. Hokam's back had several large gashes and burn marks. "He protected me..." Ken clenched his fist. "When he saw the blast come towards, he made a rock barrier to cover us. He knew it wouldn't be enough, so he pushed me down and shielded me with his own body. The rock and Hokam is the only reason I'm not worse off."

Dante scowled heavily before standing up and giving a death glare towards Naruto, who simply stood there with his tails waving. "Screw the Akatsuki. I'm going to kill that brat here and now for what he's done."

"Dante-san..." Hokam uttered out before sitting up. "Don't kick me to the bucket just yet. I'm still biting."

Ken glanced at the rooftops to see the Konoha shinobi gather around Batman. "Dante, we should go. We can leave the four-tails to them."

Dante glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Batman's for a brief moment. He turned back around and looked down at Ken. "Alright. We'll move out. Can you walk, Hokam?"

"Yeah." Hokam stumbled to his feet, draping his arm around Ken.

"Go, you two. I'll cover you." Ken and Hokam jumped off and that's when Naruto began to take notice of Dante.

Naruto turned his body to him, growling and roaring threateningly but Dante was unfazed, merely tightening his fist. Naruto charged him, uplifting rocks from his monstrous push-off and blitzed Dante from behind, striking at him with his claw. Dante dropped down, spun and charged his fist with lightning, the sound of it crackling frighteningly.

"Lightning Release: Raiden's Fist!" The punch made its way right into Naruto's gut, sending him flying back into the city wall right under Batman and the group. Dante scoffed, glaring at the hole he went through fiercely. "Stay down."

Dante jumped after his men, making eye contact with Batman one last time. Batman said something to him, something that made Dante smirk in amusement before jumping off into the distance.

* * *

After Kage left, Batman and the group jumped off the building and landed outside the village walls, staring at the gaping hole that Naruto was punched through.

"Is he dead?" Tenten asked.

" **Unlikely."** Batman unsheathed his sword, charging them with chakra. **"How do you stop him?"**

"I don't know," Kurenai replied. "We don't have anyone to seal his power on this team.

" ** _Idiot woman... sending us on a mission without someone to keep his power in check... what was she thinking?"_ "We only have one choice then..."**

"Yeah," Anko took out her bo staff. "Kill 'im."

" **No! I have an idea. Follow my lead and do _exactly_ as I say."**

After going over the plan with them, the team readied themselves.

"Hmm..." Anko purred. "I never knew you were the leader type, boy toy."

Batman smirked. **"There's a lot you don't know about me. Scatter!"**

The team jumped off, leaving Batman on the field to face Naruto alone. The boy in question jumped out from the rubble, roaring to the air. Naruto launched himself forward and tried to claw Batman down but the claw fazed through the body, indicating a clone.

"Summoning Technique!" From above, a huge white snake came down and ate Naruto, swallowing him in its stomach.

Seconds later, the snake was ripped in half from the inside out, its guts flying all over the field and the blood raining down on Naruto. The snake disappeared in a poof of smoke but this created an opening that Batman capitalized on as he threw his chakra-coated blade through the smoke and the blade impaled Naruto in his gut.

Naruto roared loudly, clearing the smoke with vibrations from his voice. The chakra shroud began to faze out around his stomach and constantly shifted from light red to dark red around the rest of his body.

" **AAAA** AAAAAAA **AAAAHHHHH** HH!"

" _ **Good. Now, we can bring him-"**_ Batman's head began to painfully ring, his hands flying to his skull and grasping it painfully. Naruto mimicked this behavior, holding his head and roaring to the Heavens.

" _ **What's... happening?!"**_

* * *

Batman's eyes opened and he found himself in a dark tunnel. Ankle deep water was beneath him and the walls around him reminded him of a sewer. Pipes were seen overhead, leading deeper into the sewer. Batman felt an overwhelming ominous chakra nearby and began to walk to the source. He turned around a corner and continued down the hall until an entrance to somewhere was seen to the left. Coming through the entrance, Batman's eyes met a monumental cage with giant red eyes peering from behind. He could see a toothy Cheshire smile and Naruto was lying in the middle of the room in the water. He was conscious and mumbling to himself, with potent red chakra flowing around him.

" **Who dares to enter my domain?"**

Batman walked forward and glanced up at the cage, peering through its bars. He removed his mask and glared straight into the towering red eyes. "The Nine Tailed Demon Fox..."

Standing behind the bars was a giant fox with red-orange fur and blood red eyes. It possessed nine tails which swirled around behind it and fangs which gave off the presence of a dark smile.

" **Your chakra... the same chakra possessed by a man I once knew long ago. You're quite impressive, little man. To deduce that you wouldn't kill the boy when you stabbed him the stomach with a blade of your chakra was impressive... for a human."**

Bruce glanced behind him at Naruto. "What are you doing to the boy?"

" **Feeding his hatred. Showing him the bliss of anger and using him to cut this seal and let me free. I'll use his broken soul and corpse to walk free once more. The opportunity to do so presented itself faster than I thought."**

"Release him."

" **Hm? Why should I do what you ask?"**

"I'm not asking you, fox. I'm _telling_ you. Release the boy, now."

" **And who are you to make demands of me? _ME?!"_**

Bruce turned to the Kyuubi fully and stared at him intensely. Veins were popping out of his head and arms, his eyes possessed a fiery glow and his nostrils were flaring. "I won't repeat myself."

A large nail suddenly pierced its way through the bars and stopped just inches from Bruce's face. **"Watch your tongue,** _ **human."**_

The next thing the Kyuubi knew, the tip of his nail was cut off, falling with a splash on the ground. **"Get out of my face,** _ **fox."**_

Kyuubi glared down at him, but with less hatred and more interest. **"As I thought and as I'm sure you deduced... your cuts are not the same as the swordsman earlier who had massive control of chakra... Your chakra allows you to cut through my chakra through its sheer nature. Your chakra** _ **is**_ **the chakra of the Six Paths' Sage."** Kyuubi bellowed and howled in laughter, the sound nearly overwhelming Bruce's ears. **"You intrigue me, human. A mere worm staring up at a demon in defiance... How amusing. What is your name?"**

"Ryu. Ryu Ko-"

" **No. Your real name."**

Bruce stared up at him for a few moments before finally replying. "Bruce Wayne."

" **I will remember that and as payment for amusing me, I will release my hold on Naruto... for now. I will be watching you quite closely. Entertain me well, Bruce Wayne."**

* * *

Batman awoke back in the real world, standing in the field right where he was before. Naruto's chakra cloak disappeared and he fell face first to the ground. Batman stumbled a second before gaining his footing while Neji and Kurenai ran over to Naruto. They turned him over to if he was alright and they saw he had burn marks all over his face, neck and arms. The puncture wound on his stomach had vanished and his breathing was normal.

Batman removed his mask and walked over to them. "How is he?" He asked.

"His skin is burned but he'll otherwise be fine."

Bruce felt a elbow lightly jab into his side. He glanced out the corner of his eye to see Anko smiling at him. "Congratulations. Your plan actually worked."

"It did..." Bruce stared down at Naruto thoughtfully.

"We need to get back to Konohagakure," said Kurenai. "We'll rest tonight, allow Naruto to get some rest. How's Sakura?"

"She still hasn't woken up yet." Neji replied.

"We're going to have to carry her then." Anko said. "What a pain in the ass..."

"We'll have to address all of this and more when we get back home. For now, let's just do what we can." Kurenai said.

* * *

Once Bruce closed his eyes for the night, he found himself in his inner mind once more. Floating before him was the Sage.

"Quite an adventure you found yourself in, other-worlder. I must say, you are full of surprises. How did you know your chakra would resonate with the seal inside Naruto's?"

"I remember from my literature that you were the one who created the Tailed Beasts. Going off that assumption, I figured by connecting the chakra, which you claimed as the chakra of ninshuu, to Naruto's tailed beast, I could disturb the chakra flow. I didn't expect to encounter the beast inside however but I managed to play it in my favor. The plan came about when Kurenai briefed me on Naruto's condition while we were on the roof."

"How impressive. The beast's name is Kurama, one of nine others. They split from a powerful being, now trapped away from this world. Continue down your path, other-worlder and you will meet deaths, pain and misery, but you will also become strong. I wish you luck."

* * *

Far away from the village, Dante stood on a mountain overlooking the forest below. It was nighttime, the stars were shimmering and crickets filled the silence. He heard a shuffle of footsteps behind him and recognized them as Q's.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"I'm just... pondering things." He glanced at her. "You seem to be doing all right, after what you did to that Haruno girl."

"Yes, even though I have perfected the technique, it still takes its toll. Regardless, with her, we should have more of an advantage."

"That's good."

"You know, you scared the hell out of me when you went back for those two. It had me worried."

"I'm sorry. But I couldn't just leave them behind."

"I know. That's just the kind of person you are, never leaving your family behind."

"Despite that, Yoshi still got traumatized. I'm looking forward to seeing that bastard try to fulfill his vow."

"Vow?"

"Before I left, the man who hurt Yoshi told me, 'I will show you true fear _and_ true justice.'"

Q chuckled humorlessly. "There's no man in a bat costume that understands a thing about true justice."

"Don't underestimate him. I saw it... he's felt it too. The powerlessness, the hatred... He knows what it's like to helplessly watch someone you love die and to be unable to stop it."

"You're so grim... sometimes, it's so exhausting having you for an older brother."

"I imagine so." He smiled. Dante looked back out at the stars and steeled himself for the days to come.

* * *

A.N.: Alright, so this arc's over. New villains that will come into play later in the story have been introduced. Let me know what you thought about them so far along with any other opinions you may have. Also, share the story with your friends and if you like the story, follow and fav. Until next chapter.

Green out.


	15. Chapter 15: The Deal

" _Father, father!"_

" _Hmm?"_

" _Take a look at this!"_

" _What?"_

" _I made my own kunai out of the wood in the back!"_

" _Wow! This is incredible! Such fine craftsmanship, Tenten!"  
_

" _I'm gonna become even better than you someday!"_

" _Ho ho, well, we'll see!"_

Tenten stared at the casket as it went down the hole. The funeral had taken place and quite a few people had come, giving her condolences and reminiscing on their memories of the man. Her teammates, the Konoha rookies, a few shinobi and a few civilains attended the funeral. Rain was pouring down hard as the hole was filled in with dirt. Tenten felt extremely numb and she couldn't get the image of her father getting cleaved in half out of her head. His eyes simply went lifeless and the look he had imprinted itself within her psyche without restraint and flashed over and over again. She couldn't think of one warm memory of him as that image was the only thing she could see. So lost in that image was she that Tenten didn't notice when Neji put his hand on her shoulder.

"Tenten."

"Hm?" She turned around slowly to see Lee and Neji giving her sympathetic looks. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Tenten. I'm sorry about your father and if there's anything we can do to help..."

"That's right!" Lee chimed. "We're a team so if we can help in anyway, we'll jump at the chance!"

Tenten's dead look turned into one of disgust and borderline hatred. "Just leave me alone..."

She turned away from them, giving them the cold shoulder, before starting to walk when Neji grabbed her hand.

"Tenten, please, I-"

"Oh, shut up!" She snatched her hand away from them, glancing over her shoulder with a cold glare and a bitter scowl. "I don't need anything from you... What do you know about this? You still have family, a whole clan... Even if your father's gone, you still have people to love you. I have no one! You neither can help me nor know how I feel. There's only one thing that can get rid of this pain..."

"Tenten, what do you-"

"Just screw off and leave me alone!" She ran away from them, far away from everything. She kept running and running through the cold rain without stopping or even knowing her destination.

* * *

Naruto's eyes slowly opened to see that he was in a hospital room, with bandages all over his body. Confused, he took a look around and eyed Sakura lying on a bed adjacent to him. She was unconscious.

"Awake, huh?"

Naruto turned his head in the other direction to see Bruce leaning up against a wall, arms crossed.

"What happened?" Naruto asked in a raspy voice.

"When that girl died, you went berserk but we were able to calm you down."

"What about... those guys?"

"They escaped."

Naruto sunk his head into his pillow and sighed in defeat. He turned his head and glanced at Sakura. "What happened... to... Sakura-chan?"

"That woman, Q, did something to her. She's been unconscious for two days."

"Oh..." He turned his head back to the ceiling and stared at it sullenly. His eyes were quite barren and lifeless. "Can I..." He finally started after a long pause. "Ask you something?"

"What?"

"Do you... what Dante said... was he right?"

This made Bruce pause. He gave a once over of Naruto's eyes and they were lost, struggling. It was a drastic change from his upbeat, loudmouth self. Bruce was a bit surprised at himself for preferring the cheery side of him. His mind then went back to the words of Dante and what he said.

" _...If your only attack is the Rasengan, some clones and a fox in your stomach, you're pathetic. Rushing in without a plan, expecting to win based on a whim and wearing clothing that makes you stick out... No, boy. You don't deserve to be called a shinobi. I should call you what you are... a joke."_

For a long time, Bruce didn't say anything. There was just a long, drawn out silence between the two. Naruto was looking at Bruce now, looking him eye-to-eye with the same, defeated, heart-broken look. Bruce exhaled softly before giving Naruto a cold sideways glance.

"Yes. He was right."

Naruto cringed noticeably upon his blunt statement but his reaction indicated that he had long mentally thought such a thing himself and simply needed confirmation from a third party. He nodded slightly to Bruce before returning his stare to the ceiling.

"Get some rest, kid." Bruce walked out of the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Naruto to his thoughts.

Tears began building up in the corner of his eyes and without thought, he draped his arm over his eyes and sobbed silently.

* * *

Tenten sat at the banks of a river, staring into its depths. The rain had stopped and it was now sunset, the orange sky reflecting itself off the horizon. The dead stare of her reflection looked back at her and frightened her because all she saw was her father. He simply smiled with his warm smile. Angrily, she slapped the water, distorting the reflection and changing the image back to her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked crossly.

Standing behind her was Bruce in his simple civilian clothing. "...I'm sorry for your loss."

She glanced at him for a second before disregarding his presence and staring back out the water. "I wish there was more I could've done to-"

"Shut up! For the love of... Just shut up..."

"You're not helping yourself or anyone by just being angry."

Tenten spun around and tried to punch Bruce, who caught her fist with his hand. "AND WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY ANGER?! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN YOUR FATHER MURDERED RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU?!"

Bruce's eyes were grave and dark as his life-changing event flashed before his eyes. He growled at her before grabbing her shoulder and sweeped her off her feet, pinning her down with his knee. "Get over yourself!" He shouted in her face. "You're not the only one in the world who has ever lost anything! There are people who want to help you, to embrace you! Don't push them away and pretend to be pissed off when you actually just want to cry!"

The words had their effect and instantly sank in as Tenten's eye fluttered open and close several times while tears built in the corners. Bruce slowly got off of her and helped her to her feet, where she immediately flew into a crying fit, burying her head in Bruce's shoulder. He didn't resist her and rather embraced her softly, allowing her to cry.

* * *

Ino, Inoichi and Tsunade walked into the hospital room where Sakura slept.

"Where's Naruto?" Ino asked, noticing Naruto's absence.

"He insisted he was feeling fine and went home." Tsunade replied. "For now, we'll just focus on waking up Sakura."

Inoichi walked over to her and placed his palm on her forehead, channeling chakra into his hand. He closed his eyes and breathed lowly. "Her consciousness is locked away... But I can pull her out of it. The process is painful, however, so Ino, I'll need you to connect to her telepathy and keep her mind stable. Can you do that?"

Ino nodded. "Yes, father."

Inoichi activated his jutsu while Ino connected Sakura's mind. Once inside, Ino found herself in a dark, empty space.

" _Ino,"_ Her father's voice came. _"Can you hear me?"_

" _Yes, I can hear you."_ She replied. _"But I can't see anything... wait!"_

The darkness began to clear away and she found herself on a hill of flowers. Bluebells, roses, sunflowers and lilies were just a few of the flowers she could see. Sakura petals were floating through the air in a serene motion, the picture being complete with the bright sun overhead. Ino's attention was not drawn to this scene however but rather, to the crying and sniffling of a certain little pink-haired girl in the middle of the hill. Ino slowly walked over, stopping some several feet from her.

The girl had her face buried between her knees but when she looked up, her teary eyes caught sight of Ino. "Who," She sniffled. "Who are you?"

Ino kindly smiled before crouching down to her height and looking her in the eye. "I'm a friend. My name is Ino. Who are you?"

She wiped her eyes with her arm. "Sakura."

"What's wrong, Sakura?"

"I'm scared. I've been here for so long but I can't get out. Every time I walk off the hill, I end up right back here. I'm alone and no one can help me..."

"I see..." Ino walked over and sat down next to her. "Well, you're not alone anymore." She held out her hand for Sakura to take. "It's gonna be okay now. Your big sis is here."

" _Ino, do you have her?"_

" _Yes. Start the process now."_

" _Got it."_

Sakura began to grasp her head painfully and scream. "Ah! It hurts! My head hurts!"

Ino tightened the grip on young Sakura's hand. "Just bear with it! Remember, your nee-chan is here!"

The scenery of the flowers melted away and it became an empty black space again. Sakura's eyes were shut tight as the veins in her head became apparent. The blackness shifted and images began to form. Ino's eyes widened in recognition.

"Are these... her memories?"

She saw scenes of her interactions with her mother, with Team 7, with Tsunade and even with Ino herself. One image in particular caught Ino's eye. She saw Q standing in front of Sakura, holding her hand out.

" _No... That woman..."_

" _Do you know her? She looks so familiar somehow..."  
_

"AAH!" Sakura's loud scream interrupted their conversation as the images faded and light began to fill the space. Ino, Sakura and Inoichi all opened their eyes to find themselves back in the real world.

Sakura sat up from bed, holding her head and taking in her surroundings. "Huh? Where-where am I?"

Ino smiled at her. "You're back in the real world."

* * *

Bruce had carried a tired Tenten back to her house, where he laid her down on her bed. After comforting her, he left her to peacefully escape her problems in her sleep. He left her vicinity walking the streets before he heard a whistle from above. He glanced up to see Anko sitting in a tree, casually eating a stick of dango.

"Yo! Did ya finish playing big brother?"

"What are you doing here?"

"This place is close to my hang out so I happened by. I was surprised to see you like that; so vulnerable and kind." Anko jumped down and landed in front of him. She tapped his chest with the back of her hand. "You're just a big softie inside, are ya?"

"I was just helping a fellow soldier get past their pain. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Nah, it was more than that. You saw something in her. Something that you saw in yourself once. Maybe you went through something similar. But if ya don't want to admit you've got a big heart than I guess there's nothing that could be done. I mean-"

Anko was cut off by Bruce diving in and smashing his lips onto hers. Anko's eyes were as wide as plates but after a moment, she relaxed and embraced the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. They stood there for what felt like a moment but was actually several minutes. When they parted, Bruce and Anko were panting slightly, breathing in each other's face.

"Well... _That_ was unexpected."

"I figured you would stop rambling if I kissed you. It seemed to have work."

"Apparently, so."

Without another word, Bruce and Anko lip-locked again, pressing their bodies lightly against each other.

* * *

Naruto sat in the shallow waters of his inner mind, in front of the cage of his tailed beast.

" **What did you say, brat?"**

"I want to get stronger."

" **Do you now?"**

"I wasn't able to save anyone... I wasn't strong enough... I wasn't a shinobi, I was a joke... So I want you to train me and make me stronger."

" **And tell me, brat, what would I gain from making you stronger?"**

"Freedom."

" **Hm?"**

"Let's make a deal, Kyuubi. You make me more powerful and in return, when I have achieved my goals, I'll unleash the seal and allow you to go free."

Kyuubi laughed heartily, his voice reverberating through the room. **"Amusing! Fine, then. I'll train you... but if you give your body to me, your soul will be snuffed out and I will be in control."**

"I know that... so I want you to promise me, as part of our deal, that when you're in control of my body, you'll disappear. You'll leave this and all villages alone. You'll never harm another person again."

" **Heheheh... In exchange for my freedom, you want to be a pacifist?"**

"That's the only way I'm letting you out."

Kyuubi grinned evilly. **"Very well, brat. In your moment of despair, you come to me for power. When you awaken from your rump, you better not regret it. And as insurance for our deal, I will give you this."**

Red chakra began to encircle Naruto before it took the shape of tendrils. The tendrils flew to Naruto's eye and painfully ripped it out.

"AAAAHHHH!" Red chakra bubbled from his eye before it took form, melding something else in its place.

" **I'll show you, _kit,_** **the ways of the Fox!"**

* * *

Bruce lay on the sky of his upside-down inner mind. "It never ceases to rain here... It always rains blood."

"What does this symbolize, other-worlder?"

"If I had to guess... The blood of the people I've failed raining on my twisted city."

"How depressing."

"It is... yet, it doesn't depress me. It just... settles there." Bruce rose to his feet, turning to face to the Sage. "I'm still weak. This chakra you gave me, its strength and potent purity rejects my body. The teachers I have beyond my own mind won't be able to help me with this."

"Are you asking for my help, then?"

"Yes. I want you to teach me the ways of ninshuu and... the ways to master your chakra."

The Sage smiled. "You surprise me, other-worlder. I didn't expect you to ask of such things."

"Learning the nature of my own chakra is important for mastering it. It's only natural to seek knowledge on the subject."

"Indeed..." The Sage held out his staff. "Take hold of this, other-worlder. We have much to go over."

* * *

Sakura and Ino walked Konoha's streets. It was nighttime now, the Moon glazing over the village as people closed their shops for the night and closed their eyes for sleep.

"I see... so I missed the funeral."

"Yes... Tenten seemed so depressed. I wonder how she is now."

"Maybe we should go check on her."

"It's pretty late now." Ino noted. "Maybe we shouldn't. She might be asleep."

"It's worth finding out, though, right?"

Ino nodded in agreement. "I suppose you're right."

Making their way to her house on the west side of the village, Ino walked to the door of the house. The apartment itself was situated right next to the weapon shop Tenten's father owned.

"Tenten!" Ino knocked. They waited for a moment but no answer came. "Maybe she's asleep after all."

"Yeah, I guess so-"

The two were interrupted by a thud. "Wait," Sakura started. "What was that?"

"Tenten!" Ino knocked again but still, no answer came. Ino and Sakura nodded to each other before forcefully opening the door.

"Tenten..." Sakura called out. "It's me, Sakura. Ino's here too. We're sorry to intrude but we heard a sound and just wanted to make sure you're okay."

The two began walking through the dark apartment, the moonlight that peered through the window drapes were their only source of light. Ino turned upon the sound of hearing Sakura fall.

"Sakura!"

"I'm fine, I just tripped."

This made Ino snicker. "Seriously? You're a full fledged kunoichi and you 'trip'?"

"Shut up, Ino-pig! I can't see so-" Sakura glanced down at hand, noticing her palm had landed in some type of liquid. She brought it closer to her face and when she recognized it, her eyes widened in dread.

"Ino..." She said gravelly.

"What-" Ino walked over to Sakura but stopped cold upon seeing what she saw. The moonlight began to uncover their object of attention, revealing it to be Tenten. She was hunched over, pale, without breath and with a sword embedded in her gut.

"Oh my God..." Ino's hands flew to her mouth.

"Tenten... why?!"


	16. Chapter 16: Progression

"Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens." - Plato

* * *

Dante sat against a tree, his eyes watching the sky. The wind blew, uncaring of its effect on his skin or how it fluttered the strands of his snow white hair. He sat some ways from the cabin in which he and his crew were situated, his mind and eyes on the Heavens.

"Ah… it looks it's going to rain again… but it still won't wash away the blood… No rain will kill my pain…"

* * *

Naruto's eyes slowly opening, his right eye smoking, bleeding, and producing a searing hot sensation, a sensation like heated rocks on the skin.

"AH!"

THUD!

Naruto recovered from his fall to the floor, scrambled up, and dashed into the bathroom. He wasted no time in switching on the water and splashing his face several times. Droplets flew everywhere as he quickly washed out his eye.

After repeated washings, Naruto's eye finally cooled down to a stinging sensation. His right eye twitching, he slowly glanced at the mirror and his eye left, blue eye widened considerably at what he saw.

"What the hell?!"

" _ **That was the result of our deal."**_

"You-!"

" _ **Speak quieter, little fox. You're loud enough as is. Hahahahahah!"**_

KNOCK, KNOCK!

"Uh, one sec!" Naruto reached down and began unrolling several feet of tissue paper before tying it around his head like a certain lazy, silver-haired, ero-Jonin. Naruto then turned back and looked himself over in the mirror.

"Alright," said he in satisfaction. Naruto then opened the door and his eye widened to sauce plates at the second surprise that greeted him this morning.

The person that stood in the doorway was a violet-haired woman with her hair down, light brown eyes, and a long shirt with a Konoha symbol on it.

"Ehhhhhhhh?! Snake Lady?! What are you doing here and why are you wearing Komori-nii-san's shirt?!"

* * *

"It was you!"

SLAM!

"Neji, no, stop it!"

"You did this! She was last seen with you! YOU had something to do with this, you son of a bitch! I know you did it! Huh?! Answer me! What did you do?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Neji held the collar of Bruce, pinning the man against a wall and potently glaring at him with his Byakugan activated. Beyond the two were Lee, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Choji. They all had frantic expressions on their face.

"Neji-nii-san!" cried Hinata. "P-please, stop this!"

"He had something to do with it! I just _know_ it!"

Bruce made no response, merely bowing his head in shame. His hair shadowed his eyes, while his face remained stoically grim and his chest beat the drums of guilt and regret.

"Answer me or I swear to God, I'll kill you!" Neji, tears building in his eyes, raised his palm.

"Neji!"

"Stop it!"

"Neji-nii-san!"

"Enough." Neji's hand was grabbed from behind, stopping his momentum in its tracks. Livid, the Hyuga spun around only to stop cold when he saw who he least expected.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Sakura while everyone else gaped in surprise.

Naruto stood, different from before. He had an eyepatch on, one that covered his right eye. He wore an all-black shinobi attire, with an olive green trench coat, and black fingerless gloves. His hair seemed wilder and his nails were like claws but his one visible eye was the one that froze Neji cold – it was steel, a blade unsheathed, as it pierced into Neji's flesh without penetration.

"Komori-nii-san didn't have anything to do with this… I heard what happened, Neji. I'm sorry… but he didn't do this."

"Naruto…!" Neji choked, his fist shaking. His entire body switched to trembling before he stopped stiff and then slowly slumped over, sighing softly. His hand slowly removed itself from Bruce's collar as Neji dropped to his knees, sobbing silently. "I loved her… I wish I told her… I loved her..."

Bruce just stared at him with sympathy and nerve-shredding guilt.

" _You idiot!"_ he belligerently shouted to himself in his mind. _"_ _Look what you did – something you said, something she thought you implied, got her killed… This is your fault. Another death… on you. This is your fault… you damned idiot…"_

Naruto crouched down and placed his hand on Neji's shoulder comfortingly. Hinata ran over and embraced her cousin, allowing the man to cry on her shoulder, her hands going up and down his back soothingly.

Naruto grimaced, glancing up at Bruce, who turned and exited the house without a sound. Naruto rose up and left after him, leaving his Konoha comrades in curious wonder.

"Komori-nii-san!" shouted Naruto after Bruce, who walked down the street but stopped when he heard the shuffling steps of Naruto.

Naruto halted when Bruce did, panting slightly.

"You have a new look," commented Bruce without turning. "What's with the eye patch?"

Naruto smirked. "Heh! Let's just say that I'm a real shinobi from this day on."

Bruce glanced at him over his shoulder, narrowed eyes scrutinizing Naruto. _"_ _He does seem different…"_

"Oh?" said Bruce. "Is that so?"

Naruto pressed his thumb against his chest, a confident smile on his face. "That's right!"

"I'm surprised you can even act exuberant after your friend's death," stated Bruce bluntly.

Naruto's disposition shifted, his eyes casting downward and his face became solemn, his injured heart beating in his ears. "I am sad… She was nice, at least to me but… we all killed her, you know? None of us were able to save her Dad… or her… but I won't let her death defeat me. I feel it, for sure. I feel like crying right now… but I ain't gonna sit and sulk for nothing." Naruto raised his hand and slammed it against his chest, smirking brazenly again. "I'll keep her memory right here and keep moving forward!"

For a moment, if one were watching Bruce, they would think his eyes widened ever so slightly, ever so speedily, but if one were watching Bruce, they'd cross it off as an illusion of their mind.

"Hn..." Bruce smiled lightly. _"_ _There_ is _something different about you."_

He turned around and faced Naruto with his arms crossed. "You said something about being a real shinobi now, yes?"

"Believe it!"

"Let's see how much fruit your words weigh. Follow me."

* * *

The two shinobi stood facing each other on a spacious, grassy field. Trees surrounded this space, the leaves rustling with each passing wind. Behind Naruto, the Hokage mountain overlooked the field. Blue eyes met blue eyes, both of them facing each other with nothing but their fists as their sides, clenched tight.

Naruto was smirking confidently, while Bruce stood stoically, the wind blowing their hair slightly.

Soon, the two slid their leg behind them, resting weight on one before raising their hands and settling into a stance.

"Ready?" dared Bruce.

"Bring it!" said Naruto.

Vhoom!

With speed faster than a rushing current, they met in the center of the field, arms barred against each other. Jaws tight and gritting their teeth, the two jumped back, tossing kunai and shuriken.

WHISH-WHISH-WHISH! CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

They sharp projectiles fell to the ground, embedding themselves in the dirt. Bruce and Naruto sprinted towards each other, taking up a kunai from the ground each.

CLANG!

Their blades met, the wind whistling in tune with their melodious slashes. Will met will, neither giving ground to the other.

With a swift leap backwards, the two distanced themselves, Bruce clasping his hands together and Naruto crossing his own.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Bruce's body became enveloped in a dark aura with a white outline. His eyes became pale and his skin was completely black, veins colored blank. Surrounding Bruce were seven clones, each holding a knife in hand. Single blue eyes steeled, sharp as needles. Bruce exhaled soft, giving sidelong glares from right to left.

" **Come on,"** dared he.

"HAAAAA!"

A unified leap darted forth, punches aimed at Bruce. A shift of his body; snap of his leg; turn of his hips; launch of his fists; a blur he was to the eyes of Naruto.

POOF-POOF-POOF!

All seven dissipated, Bruce untouched.

" **Huh?"** He glanced up, a whirling sound and a sense of chakra above him. Naruto came down with a Rasengan in hand, thrusting his palm out.

BOOM!

Several backflips and Bruce had created distance. Breathing heavy, his cringed and tightened his jaw, veins popping from his neck. _"_ _Ignore it… ignore the pain. Ignore it… ignore it!"_

A hand creeped from the ground and grabbed Bruce's leg, rising from the earth with a blue orb in hand was another clone. However, Bruce quickly turned his head, grabbing the arm of the shadow clone and strapping an explosive seal onto his neck.

"Wha…?!" exclaimed the clone.

Bruce threw him towards Naruto, the explosion consuming the clone's body halfway and spreading to the blonde boy. Naruto managed to jump back, but through the smoke came Bruce, charged with energy.

" **Ha!"**

BAM!

A sharp kick to the stomach and Naruto was sent flying into a tree trunk.

"Oof!" COUGH! "Damn..."

Clutching his stomach, Naruto looked up to see Bruce's aura gone, his breathing rapid.

The two smirked, rising to their feet and taking up their stance.

"Not bad," said Bruce.

"Right back at ya!" Naruto replied.

With a quick breath, the two lowered themselves to their knees and sprinted forward, raising their fists.

* * *

Pant…! Pant…! Pant…!

The two laid on the ground, chests rising and sweat covering their faces. Their eyes to the sky, they laid parallel to each other, the top of their heads facing one another.

"Wow!" exclaimed Naruto, shutting his eyes and covering his face. "You're strong as hell..."

"Hm." Bruce offered a small smile, closing his eyes as well. "You're formidable. I guess I was wro-"

"NARUTO!"

"Huh?" He rose up from his feet, watching as Sakura sprinted towards them. She stopped, bending and holding her knees, catching her breath. "Sakura-chan, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

She shook her head, raising her gaze. "Sa… Sa… Sasuke-kun!"

His blue eyes widened. Bruce merely observed. "Sasuke?!"

"We found him Naruto! We know where he might be!"

* * *

A/N/: And that will end that. Again, I wanna apologize for any mistakes or even the lacklusterness of this whole thing honestly. Too many things have shown to be of priority in my life and, as such, I can't afford to really write on this site any longer. However, I do want to thank everyone for their kindness and criticism. It's helped me grow as writer with your support and following of my works. It means a lot, it really does. I hate how, it seems, in return for it, I'm leaving you with this mess but I just wanted to do something, at least, before I disappeared for good. But anyway, I suppose that's it. Goodbye, my readers. It's been fun.

Green out.


End file.
